About
The character "趾" has an etymological foundation tied directly to the human foot, as its primary component is the radical "足", which denotes the foot or leg. Historically, this character encompassed the entire foot in early usage, a meaning still faintly preserved in some classical contexts, rather than its specific modern definition pertaining solely to the toes. Its second component, "止", originally depicted a foot or footprint itself, thus reinforcing the character's semantic field while also providing a phonetic clue. Over centuries, the semantic range of "趾" narrowed and specialized, moving away from the general concept of the foot to focus specifically on the toes, while the more generic term for the foot was shouldered by the radical "足" alone. This shift created a logical lexical distinction within the language, where the character’s structure continues to transparently reflect its meaning through the foot radical, even as its precise application became more refined.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我的脚趾很冷。
她洗脚时仔细清洁脚趾。
跑步后，我的脚趾有点酸。
医生检查了他的脚趾骨头。
因为鞋子太小，他的脚趾被挤伤了。
在舞蹈训练中，保护脚趾非常重要。
他用脚趾夹起地上的铅笔，展示了灵活性。
尽管脚趾疼痛，他仍然坚持完成了马拉松比赛。