About
The character 彼, constructed from the movement radical 彳 and the phonetic component 皮, originally functioned in classical Chinese as a demonstrative pronoun denoting "that" or "the other", often in explicit contrast to "this", with its compositional elements suggesting a sense of removal or spatial distance. Its semantic application shifted across linguistic contexts over time, notably in Japanese where it acquired the role of a third-person pronoun for "he" or "him", while in Chinese it maintained its demonstrative core, though increasingly confined to formal or compound usage. The graphical structure of 彼 has persisted without alteration, and its constituent parts remain indicative of its early association with conveyed remoteness.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我知道彼处很好。
彼岸的花很美丽。
他们彼此了解很深。
彼时我们还在上学。
他经常提到彼处的生活。
我们必须彼此信任才能成功。
他的梦想是到达理想的彼岸。
在彼方的那座城市里，有我们共同的回忆。