About
The character for "slow" or "late", traditionally rendered as "遲", structurally combines the walking radical "辶" to denote movement with the component "犀", which primarily functioned as a phonetic element while perhaps indirectly evoking a sense of weight or sluggishness through its association with the rhinoceros. Its etymological foundation lies in conveying the idea of delayed or prolonged motion, a meaning that has remained stable over time, consistently applied to describe tardiness in both physical and abstract senses. The character's semantic range expanded through usage in compound words to encompass related concepts such as hesitation, gradual progression, and deferred actions, all while retaining the core notion of slowness anchored by the persistent walk radical in its graphical composition.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他今天迟到了。
因为堵车，我迟到了。
会议推迟到明天。
航班因天气延迟。
他的反应有点迟钝。
经济发展速度迟缓。
他迟早会明白的。
项目的迟延导致成本增加。