About
The character "却" has an origin tied to physical action, as its structure combines the component "去", indicating departure, with "卩", a pictograph representing a kneeling figure, together conveying the idea of causing someone to retreat or withdraw. This core meaning of "to retreat" or "to decline" persisted in classical usage, but over centuries its application broadened into a more grammatical role. It began to function as an adverb that denotes a sense of reversal or contradiction against an expectation, eventually solidifying into its modern primary meanings of "but", "however", or "yet", while its older verbal sense of "to step back" remains in limited, often literary, use.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我很累，却睡不着。
他明明知道，却不说。
天气很热，我却觉得冷。
她虽然年轻，却很有经验。
我努力学习了，成绩却不好。
他嘴上答应得快，行动却总是拖延。
这本书看起来很难，读起来却很有趣。
尽管面临诸多挑战，他却从未放弃自己的梦想。