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The term dog frequently appears in Chinese vocabulary because of the long-established close relationship between humans and dogs. Dogs are portrayed with positive attributes, such as loyalty, bravery, and faithfulness, in Chinese linguistic expressions, which include proverbs and idioms. Negative attributes, such as insignificance, ominousness, and incompetence, are also attributed to them. The Chinese language employs the term dog as a humble personal noun reflecting an image of loyalty and insignificance. This usage serves to express respect for the counterpart by demonstrating humility. However, in a derogatory context, the term dog is used to degrade the social status or value of the referent. Regarding the lexical formation’s structural characteristics, both terms quan and gou, which refer to a dog, are used as derogatory personal nouns. However, humble expressions predominantly incorporate the term quan while rarely containing the term gou. The term gou rarely being used in forming humble expressions can be attributed to the term quan being used in literary language and gou in spoken language when ancient or medieval Chinese was in use. It is assumed that the colloquial term gou was mainly employed in common and popular expressions. Most Chinese personal nouns, including the term gou, are figurative expressions that symbolize people with negative qualities, such as thieves, informants, bad people, and unconditionally obedient people. While these personal nouns are often used as slurs, new words including the term gou serve as sarcastic expressions that do not demonstrate derogation. Essentially, the term gou generally implies contempt toward a certain target. However, it implies humor when it reflects the speaker’s specific intention. This usage of the term dog indicates the transformation of its affective meaning in personal nouns, as well as the introduction of a pragmatic element in the formation of derived words.