饲养

• Pinyin: sì yǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 饲 = 饣+ 司 — to feed animals; 养 = 羊 (sheep) + 食 — to nourish, to raise

Meaning

To raise; to breed; to keep animals. The act of feeding, caring for, and rearing animals over a period of time.

Used in agricultural, zoological, and domestic contexts. Encompasses the full scope of animal husbandry — providing food, shelter, veterinary care, and management. Also used for pets (饲养宠物), zoo animals (动物园饲养员 — zookeeper), and livestock. Slightly more formal than the colloquial 养.

Examples

1. 这家大型农场专门从事生猪饲养，年出栏量超过二十万头，是当地重要的肉类供应基地。 This large farm specializes in raising pigs, with annual output exceeding 200,000 head, making it an important local base for meat supply.
2. 动物园的饲养员每天需要根据不同动物的习性和营养需求，严格按照既定方案投喂饲料。 Zookeepers have to feed the animals every day according to strict plans, based on each species’ habits and nutritional needs.
3. 近年来，家庭饲养宠物的数量持续增长，带动了相关宠物食品与医疗服务行业的快速发展。 In recent years, the number of households keeping pets has continued to rise, driving rapid growth in related industries such as pet food and veterinary services.

Usage Guide

Context: agriculture, zoology, pets, formal writing

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 该地区的规模化饲养业近年来发展迅猛，但随之而来的环境污染与疫病防控问题也引发了社会各界的广泛关注。(The large-scale breeding industry in this region has grown rapidly in recent years, but the accompanying issues of environmental pollution and epidemic disease prevention have also drawn widespread attention from all sectors of society.)
• 动物园在对濒危物种进行人工饲养的同时，也积极开展野外繁殖研究，为未来的放归自然创造条件。(While artificially raising endangered species, the zoo also actively conducts wild breeding research to create conditions for their future release back into nature.)

Don't Say

• 不要将 饲养 用于植物种植 — 植物用 种植 或 栽培；饲养 专用于动物的喂养与培育

Origin & History

饲 (to feed, to raise) + 养 (to nourish, to raise) — both components mean to feed and nurture animals; together they form a compound emphasising the sustained care of animals

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal