Definition
独角兽 is a compound that literally translates to 'single-horn beast' and refers both to the mythical unicorn and — in modern business jargon — a startup company valued over $1 billion (borrowed from Silicon Valley's 'unicorn' metaphor). You'll see it in contexts from fantasy stories to financial news, so the intended sense depends heavily on context.
noun
unicorn (mythical horse-like creature with a single horn)unicorn company (privately-held startup valued over $1 billion)
Examples
- 独角兽。Chuánshuō zhōng dú jiǎo shòu de jiǎo yǒu shénqí de lìliàng.Legend says a unicorn's horn has magical power.
- 独角兽。Zhè jiā gōngsī sān nián nèi chéngzhǎng wéi yì jiā dú jiǎo shòu.This company grew into a unicorn within three years.
- 独角兽。Quánqiú yǐ yǒu chāoguò wǔ bǎi jiā dú jiǎo shòu qǐyè.There are now over five hundred unicorn companies globally.
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