它 (tā) — it
Definition
它 is the third-person pronoun for 'it' — inanimate things and most animals. It is not a person: use 她 for women and 他 for men (both also tā). The plural is 它们.
pronoun
it
Examples
- 它。tā Shì wǒ de māo.It is my cat.
- 它。Wǒ mǎi tā le.I bought it.
- 它。tā Zài zhuō zi shàng.It is on the table.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.
它 originally drew a snake. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write the pronoun “it”, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.
Appears in
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