Usage of the character 牛

to be the acknowledged leader (from the custom of a prince holding a plate on which lay the severed ears of a sacrificial bull at an alliance ceremony)

qiānniúshǔ

牵牛属

[牽牛屬]

Pharbitis, genus of herbaceous plants including Morning glory 牽牛／牵牛 (Pharbitis nil)

zuānniújiǎo

钻牛角

[鑽牛角]

lit. honing a bull's horn; fig. to waste time on an insoluble or insignificant problem
to bash one's head against a brick wall
a wild goose chase
a blind alley
to split hairs
same as idiom 鑽牛角尖／钻牛角尖

niútóugěng

牛头㹴

[牛頭㹴]

variant of 牛頭梗／牛头梗 (niútóugěng)

niúnǎitáng

牛奶糖

[牛奶糖]

toffee; chewy caramel candy

bíniúr

鼻牛儿

[鼻牛兒]

hardened mucus in nostrils

huángniúpiào

黄牛票

[黃牛票]

scalped tickets

Niúmówáng

牛魔王

[牛魔王]

Gyuumao

yàojiāniúnǎi

要加牛奶

[要加牛奶]

with milk
white (of tea, coffee etc)

Angésīniú

安格斯牛

[安格斯牛]

Angus, Scottish breed of beef cattle

dīnggǔniúpái

丁骨牛排

[丁骨牛排]

T-bone steak

niúdāoxiǎoshì

牛刀小试

[牛刀小試]

see 小試牛刀／小试牛刀 (xiǎoshìniúdāo)

qìchōngniúdǒu

气冲牛斗

[氣沖牛斗]

(idiom) extremely angry; infuriated

zhíwùniúyóu

植物牛油

[植物牛油]

margarine

niúlángzhīnü

牛郎织女

[牛郎織女]

Cowherd and Weaving maid (characters in folk story)
separated lovers
Altair and Vega (stars)

mùwúquánniú

目无全牛

[目無全牛]

to see the ox already cut up into joints (idiom); extremely skilled
able to see through the problem at one glance

bāwūqiānniú

扒屋牵牛

[扒屋牽牛]

to sack the home and lead off the cattle (proverb)
to strip of everything

niúpáicāntīng

牛排餐厅

[牛排餐廳]

steakhouse
chophouse

jiǔniú-yīmáo

九牛一毛

[九牛一毛]

lit. one hair from nine oxen (idiom)
fig. a drop in the ocean

niújìtóngcáo

牛骥同槽

[牛驥同槽]

cow and famous steed at the same trough (idiom); fig. the common and the great are treated alike
also written 牛驥同皂／牛骥同皂 (niújìtóngzào)

wúkéwōniú

无壳蜗牛

[無殼蝸牛]

fig. people who cannot afford to buy their own house

niúyīduìqì

牛衣对泣

[牛衣對泣]

couple living in destitute misery (idiom)

tǔniúmùmǎ

土牛木马

[土牛木馬]

clay ox, wooden horse (idiom); shape without substance
worthless object

hūniúzuòmǎ

呼牛作马

[呼牛作馬]

to call sth a cow or a horse (idiom); it doesn't matter what you call it
Insult me if you want, I don't care what you call me.

niúniánmǎyuè

牛年马月

[牛年馬月]

see 猴年馬月／猴年马月 (hóuniánmǎyuè)

Wēngniútèqí

翁牛特旗

[翁牛特旗]

Ongniud banner or Ongnuud khoshuu in Chifeng 赤峰 ( Chìfēng), Inner Mongolia

hànniúchōngdòng

汗牛充栋

[汗牛充棟]

lit. enough books to make a pack-ox sweat or to fill a house to the rafters (idiom); fig. many books

Niújīn Dàxué

牛津大学

[牛津大學]

University of Oxford

jièlánniúròu

芥兰牛肉

[芥蘭牛肉]

beef with broccoli

duìniútánqín

对牛弹琴

[對牛彈琴]

lit. to play the lute to a cow (idiom)
fig. offering a treat to an unappreciative audience
to cast pearls before swine
caviar to the general
to preach to deaf ears
to talk over sb's head

dàiniúpèidú

带牛佩犊

[帶牛佩犢]

to abandon armed struggle and return to raising cattle (idiom)

tiěbǎnniúròu

铁板牛肉

[鐵板牛肉]

beef grilled on a hot iron plate

Wúniújiànyuè

吴牛见月

[吳牛見月]

cow from Wu is terrified by the moon, mistaking it for the sun

fǎnquànhuángniú

返券黄牛

[返券黃牛]

"shopping coupon scalper", sb who sells unwanted or returned shopping coupons to others for a profit

niúguǐshéshén

牛鬼蛇神

[牛鬼蛇神]

evil monsters
(fig.) bad characters
(political) bad elements

lǎoniúshìdú

老牛舐犊

[老牛舐犢]

lit. an old ox licking its calf (idiom)
fig. (of parents) to dote on one's children

dāngniúzuòmǎ

当牛作马

[當牛作馬]

to work like a horse and toil like an ox
fig. to slave for sb

tiěbǎnniúliǔ

铁板牛柳

[鐵板牛柳]

fillet beef served sizzling on a hot iron plate

wōxíngniúbù

蜗行牛步

[蝸行牛步]

lit. to crawl like a snail and plod along like an old ox (idiom)
fig. to move at a snail's pace
to make slow progress

niújìtóngzào

牛骥同皂

[牛驥同皂]

cow and famous steed at the same trough (idiom); fig. the common and the great are treated alike

niújiǎomiànbāo

牛角面包

[牛角麵包]

croissant

niújiǎoguàshū

牛角挂书

[牛角掛書]

lit. to hang one's books on cow horns (idiom)
fig. to be diligent in one's studies

qīngjiāoniúliǔ

青椒牛柳

[青椒牛柳]

beef with green peppers

zuòniúzuòmǎ

做牛做马

[做牛做馬]

lit. to work like an ox, to work like a horse; fig. to work extremely hard

chuīniúpāimǎ

吹牛拍马

[吹牛拍馬]

to resort to bragging and flattering

zuānniújiǎojiān

钻牛角尖

[鑽牛角尖]

lit. to penetrate into a bull's horn (idiom); fig. to waste time on an insoluble or insignificant problem
to bash one's head against a brick wall
a wild goose chase
a blind alley
to split hairs

niúshānzhuózhuó

牛山濯濯

[牛山濯濯]