Definitions
Etymology
Pictograph of a snake, now written as 蛇. The current use as a pronoun is a phonetic loan.
About
The character 它 now functions solely as the third-person neuter pronoun "it", referring to non-human entities such as animals, inanimate objects, and abstract concepts. Its modern form combines the roof radical 宀 with the spoon/dagger component 匕. Originally, 它 was a pictograph of a snake, the upper part represented the head and the lower curved stroke its slithering body, a meaning later borne by the related character 蛇. Due to phonetic similarity, it was borrowed as a general third-person pronoun for all referents, including humans, before gendered pronouns developed. After those specialized pronouns emerged, its use narrowed to only non-human entities.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
它是一只猫。
它非常聪明。
它在吃食物。
它的眼睛很亮。
它比兔子跑得快。
如果你善待它，它会亲近你。
它被训练成导盲犬。
尽管它受伤了，但仍坚持工作。
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