豕

A concrete noun referring to a pig, swine, or boar.

Contrast with 彘 (zhì): In early texts, these are not always interchangeable. While both refer to pigs, 豕 often denotes the animal in a general, biological, or wild state (boar), whereas 彘 frequently refers specifically to a fattened pig intended for slaughter.

As a radical, this glyph does not always denote the animal itself but can refer to specific physical attributes of the boar (e.g., stiff bristles).

In descriptions of ancestral rites or formal offerings—specifically as part of the //tailao// (太牢, "great sacrifice" consisting of an ox, sheep, and pig)—the register should shift from livestock to sacrificial animal; depending on the target language, "swine" or "sacrificial pig" may be more appropriate than "pig."