1945–50; < Chinese (Wade-Giles) shih 1 tzŭ ( kou 3 ), (pinyin) shīzi ( gǒu ) literally, lion (dog)
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They brought their most valuable belongings, including a Scottish Straight cat and a Shih Tzu dog.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
Also entered are Comet, a Shih Tzu who won the huge American Kennel Club National Championship show in December, and Stache, a Sealyham terrier who won the National Dog Show that was televised on Thanksgiving.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2024
After his timid Shih Tzu cross Lexi vanished about a year ago, Nathan received a call from a private number.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2024
Melo first swapped that membrane for tilapia skin in 2019, when she successfully operated on a Shih Tzu with a severe corneal perforation.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 1, 2023
In late August, we got a box full of rescued Shih Tzu puppies.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
In Liverpool, for example, a shih-tzu puppy named Hope, which was rejected by its mother, was adopted by a Siamese cat whose kittens were born on the same day.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2023
Eddie was joined by Boycie, a shih-tzu, in 2014; Conchita, a Maltese, in 2015; Arfur, a mongrel puppy, in 2017; Nancy, another mongrel puppy, in 2020; and Sausage, a wire-haired dachshund, in 2021.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2023
A total of 96 shih-tzu dogs have been rescued from a breeding home.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2022
I also got a little dog – a teacup shih-tzu called Biggie – who wasn’t always toilet-trained.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 30, 2019
Her husband is at home, looking after their blind shih-tzu.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 31, 2018
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
