About
The character "徒" is composed of the radical "彳", denoting movement or a step, combined with the component "土", representing earth, which together originally depicted the concrete act of walking on foot. This fundamental sense of moving by foot extended to signify a person who travels in this manner, a pedestrian or foot soldier, and from there naturally evolved to refer to a follower or disciple, one who walks the path of another. Over time, the meaning further broadened into more abstract territory, taking on the connotations of emptiness or futility, as in an effort that leads nowhere, and by extension came to describe a person who is merely or solely something, often with a negative implication such as a layperson without special skill. The traditional form of the character retains this same composition and has carried these layered meanings throughout its use.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这个徒弟很聪明。
我们徒步去公园。
他徒手打开了瓶子。
你的努力是徒劳的。
他是虔诚的信徒。
警察逮捕了那些暴徒。
这个学徒正在学习手艺。
他的计划徒增烦恼。