U+725D "牝" CJK Unified Ideograph-# Unicode Character
U+725D "牝" CJK Unified Ideograph-# is a Chinese character that represents the concept of female animals, particularly in contrast to "牡" (mǔ), which denotes male animals. Etymologically, it combines the radical 牛 (niú, meaning "cow" or "ox") with 匕 (bǐ, a phonetic component that also suggests a sense of femininity or separation), and it is pronounced "pin" in Mandarin. This character is often used in classical texts, agricultural contexts, and zoological terminology to specify the female gender of livestock, such as in the compound "牝牛" (pìn niú) meaning "cow" or "牝horse" indicating a mare. Its usage extends metaphorically in philosophy and literature, including the Taoist concept of the "valley spirit" as the "mysterious female" (玄牝, xuán pìn) from the Dao De Jing, symbolizing the generative, receptive principle of the universe.