Definitions

(verb) to go; to go to (a place); leave
(verb) go away; leave
(verb) to remove; to get rid of; to reduce
(adjective) last; past

Etymology

Depicts opening the mouth () wide () to let a yawn leave the mouth. Original form of .

About

The character "去" derives from an early pictorial concept of departure, originally configured to show a human figure moving away from an enclosed space or cavity, which conveyed the concrete action of leaving. Its modern form, interpreted as a combination of the components "土" and "厶", represents a structural simplification and reinterpretation of that earlier depiction over time. The meaning of "去" shifted from specifically denoting physical exit from a location to expressing general movement away from a reference point, as in "to go", and subsequently extended into more abstract applications such as "to remove" or "to discard", demonstrating a gradual expansion in its semantic scope within the language.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我们公园吧。

Wǒmen qù gōngyuán ba.

Let's go to the park.

明天我要上班。

Míngtiān wǒ yào qù shàngbān.

Tomorrow I have to go to work.

火车站怎么走?

Qù huǒchēzhàn zěnme zǒu?

How do I get to the train station?

了北京。

Tā qùnián qùle Běijīng.

He went to Beijing last year.

她喜欢海边散步。

Tā xǐhuān qù hǎibiān sànbù.

She likes to go for a walk by the sea.

他决定国外学习。

Tā juédìng qù guówài xuéxí.

He decided to go abroad to study.

如果你不,我会很失望。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù qù, wǒ huì hěn shīwàng.

If you don't go, I will be very disappointed.

尽管下雨,他们还是了音乐会。

Jǐnguǎn xiàyǔ, tāmen háishì qùle yīnyuèhuì.

Despite the rain, they still went to the concert.