Definitions
Etymology
Pictograph of a snake, now written as 蛇. The current use as a pronoun is a phonetic loan.
About
The pronoun 它 functions as the third-person neuter singular "it", referring to inanimate objects and animals. Its structure combines the roof radical 宀 over the component 匕 (a spoon or dagger). Originally, this character pictographically represented a snake, with the upper part depicting the head and the lower curved stroke its body, a meaning later assigned to the related character 蛇. Due to phonetic similarity, 它 was borrowed as a general third-person pronoun for all subjects, including humans, before gendered pronouns developed. Once specialized pronouns for people were created, the use of 它 was narrowed to denote only non-human entities, objects, and abstract concepts.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
它是一只猫。
它非常聪明。
它在吃食物。
它的眼睛很亮。
它比兔子跑得快。
如果你善待它，它会亲近你。
它被训练成导盲犬。
尽管它受伤了，但仍坚持工作。