About
The character 陀, formed by the landform radical 阝 and the phonetic component 它, originally denoted sloping ground or a riverbank, reflecting its structural emphasis on terrain. Its meaning later extended to objects that embody a sloped or circular motion, as seen in the compound 陀螺 for a spinning top, which conceptually relies on an inclined axis. Furthermore, the character was adopted for its sound in transliterating foreign words, particularly within Buddhist terminology where it appears in 佛陀, representing the Sanskrit "Buddha" without retaining its original topographic sense. This progression from a concrete geographical term to a multifunctional element in both descriptive and phonetic applications illustrates a shift in usage while its written form has maintained consistency across time.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我喜欢玩陀螺。
陀螺旋转得很快。
奶奶经常念弥陀佛。
飞机上装有陀螺仪。
这个陀螺的颜色很鲜艳。
山路盘陀，行走困难。
陀螺仪是现代导航系统中重要的部件。
陀思妥耶夫斯基是俄国著名的作家。