About
The character "尔" originates from the traditional form "爾", which historically functioned as a second-person pronoun meaning "you" in classical Chinese. Its structural simplification involved a reduction of the more complex graphical components, resulting in a character with fewer strokes while retaining its core identity. Over time, the semantic application of "尔" shifted from a direct address term to a constituent within formal compound words, where it often imparts a literary or archaic tone, and it has further adapted to serve as a grammatical particle or suffix in various linguistic constructions, reflecting its integration into the language as a bound morpheme rather than an independent pronoun.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
偶尔去公园散步。
这是一个尔格的定义。
此事的后果尔后便知。
喀尔巴阡山脉景色壮丽。
他为人诚实，从不尔虞我诈。
这项决定关乎尔等的切身利益。
国际关系岂能如此反复无常、出尔反尔？
尔曹身与名俱灭，不废江河万古流。