陀

tuó

它 + 阝

Definitions

tuó (noun) steep slope; bank

tuó (particle) used as phonetic component in other characters

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 它 represents the meaning and 阝 represents the sound.

Semantic: 它 Phonetic: 阝

About

陀 is a phonosemantic compound: 它 gives the meaning and 阝 (the left ear radical) indicates the sound. It originally referred to a steep bank or rugged, uneven slope. With the introduction of Buddhism, the character was widely borrowed for its phonetic value to transcribe Sanskrit syllables, most notably in 阿弥陀佛 (Amitābha) and 曼陀罗 (mandala). Today, its original topographic sense is rarely encountered, having been almost entirely replaced by roles in religious terminology and phonetic transcription.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢玩陀螺。

Wǒ xǐhuān wán tuóluó.

I like playing with spinning tops.

陀螺旋转得很快。

Tuóluó xuánzhuǎn de hěn kuài.

The spinning top rotates very fast.

奶奶经常念弥陀佛。

Nǎinai jīngcháng niàn Mítuófó.

Grandma often chants Amitabha Buddha.

飞机上装有陀螺仪。

Fēijī shàng zhuāng yǒu tuóluóyí.

The airplane is equipped with a gyroscope.

这个陀螺的颜色很鲜艳。

Zhège tuóluó de yánsè hěn xiānyàn.

This spinning top has very bright colors.

山路盘陀，行走困难。

Shānlù pántuó, xíngzǒu kùnnán.

The mountain path is winding, making it difficult to walk.

陀螺仪是现代导航系统中重要的部件。

Tuóluóyí shì xiàndài dǎoháng xìtǒng zhōng zhòngyào de bùjiàn.

Gyroscopes are important components in modern navigation systems.

陀思妥耶夫斯基是俄国著名的作家。

Tuósītuǒyēfūsījī shì Éguó zhùmíng de zuòjiā.

Dostoevsky is a famous Russian writer.

Related Characters

Component: 它

Component: 阝

陀