羆 meaning and stroke order

羆 puts a net 罒 on top of a bear 熊 (xióng). Picture hunters throwing a net over a huge bear, so big it needs its own name: the brown bear.

羆 is rare in modern speech and shows up mostly in zoology, classical texts, and the word 棕熊 (zōngxióng) is far more common for everyday talk. You may see it in the set phrase 熊羆 (xióngpí), meaning bears in general or brave warriors. Example: 古人常用熊羆比喻勇士。(Gǔrén cháng yòng xióngpí bǐyù yǒngshì.) The ancients often compared brave soldiers to bears.

Common mistake: Learners often read 羆 as xióng because the whole character 熊 sits inside it, but it is pronounced pí with a second tone. Also do not confuse the top 罒 with 四 (sì), which looks similar but is a separate character.