Definitions
Etymology
Pictograph of a foot (止) going out of an area. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
The character 之 (zhī) originated as an ideograph depicting a foot stepping forward from a baseline, symbolizing departure or movement. Its earliest meaning was the verb “to go,” “to leave,” or “to travel toward.” In classical Chinese literature, this verbal sense was largely supplanted as the character was repurposed as a grammatical particle. It primarily indicates possession or modification, functioning similarly to the English “of.” It also frequently serves as a third-person object pronoun, referring to previously mentioned people, objects, or situations.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我们之间有很多共同点。
他在公司之中很有名。
放学之后，我们去打球。
吃饭之前要洗手。
北京是中国的大城市之一。
两国之间的合作非常重要。
此项决定之影响深远。
他对这个问题的理解之深刻令人惊讶。