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Where does the word "shih tzu" come from? It comes from Chinese shizi gou, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).
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Where does the word "shih tzu" come from? It comes from Chinese shizi gou, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).
Shih tzu’s story begins in Chinese: shizi gou meant “lion dog.” Literally "lion dog", describing the breed's mane-like fur. It reached English by 1900s as shih tzu. Chinese 'lion dog', bred at the Qing imperial court. Today, shih tzu means a small, long-haired toy dog breed originally from China.
- Stage 1 · Chinese · medieval shizi gou "lion dog", literally "lion dog", describing the breed's mane-like fur.
- Stage 2 · English · 1900s shih tzu "a small, long-haired toy dog breed", Chinese 'lion dog', bred at the Qing imperial court.