About
佗 is a phono-semantic compound that historically functioned as a verb meaning to carry a heavy load on one's back. It combines the person radical 亻 with the phonetic 它, which originally depicted a snake. In classical literature, it also served as an early variant of the third-person pronoun, a role later replaced by 他 and 她. Today, it is primarily used as a proper noun, most famously for the legendary physician Hua Tuo.
Etymology Hide
Example Words
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.