About
The character "或" originated as a pictorial representation of a defended territory, combining the elements "戈" for weapon and "口" for enclosure to convey the concept of a protected region or state. Its meaning gradually shifted from denoting a physical domain to serving as an indefinite pronoun in classical Chinese, where it expressed vagueness such as "someone" or "some". This semantic expansion facilitated its later grammaticalization into a disjunctive conjunction, ultimately solidifying its modern function as "or". Structurally, the character has preserved its core components without alteration, and it historically formed the basis for the related character meaning "country", which incorporated an additional boundary element.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
茶或咖啡都可以。
你去或我去都行。
明天或后天见面。
你想看电影或听音乐？
如果下雨，我们可以室内活动或改期。
选择红色、蓝色或绿色。
成功取决于努力或机遇。
无论你选择留学或工作，或甚至休息一段时间，都要好好计划。