坐 zuò — to sit, to be seated; to travel by (a vehicle); (of a building) to face a direction
zuò (fourth tone, falling)
to sit, to be seated; to travel by (a vehicle); (of a building) to face a direction
7 strokesRadical 土Frequency #355
Pinyin
- zuò (fourth tone, falling)
to sit, to be seated; to travel by (a vehicle); (of a building) to face a direction
Character breakdown
Ideographic description
⿱从土The sequence reads left to right and describes how the parts are arranged.
- 从meaning partno entry yetTwo people. In the older forms they sit facing each other on either side of the ground line.
- 土meaning partno entry yetThe earth: the ground, or the raised mat of beaten soil they are sitting on.
Mnemonic
Two people 从 sitting on the ground 土, one on either side of the vertical. Chinese uses this verb where European languages change words for every vehicle: 坐飞机, 坐火车, 坐出租车 — literally to sit an aeroplane, a train, a taxi. A bicycle is the exception; you ride it, 骑自行车. And 请坐 is what you say when a guest comes in.
A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.