沓

tà, dá

日 + 水

Definitions

tà surname Ta

dá classifier for sheets of papers etc: pile, pad; Taiwan pr. [tà]

tà again and again; many

Etymology

Depicts speech flowing out of the mouth (曰) like water (水). Based on the original meaning "mouth like a torrent, speaking a lot". The meaning later expanded to "repeated", "crowded", "join", and "unite".

About

The character 沓, composed of 水 (water) above and 日 (sun) below, serves as a versatile term with multiple pronunciations. Primarily, it functions as a quantifier for counting thick stacks or piles of flat objects, such as paper or currency. When pronounced differently, it conveys sluggishness or the rapid, overlapping succession of events. Its structure visually suggests accumulation, reflecting its use for both physical piles and the compounding nature of continuous actions.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

桌子上有一沓纸。

Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yī dá zhǐ.

There is a stack of paper on the table.

他买了一沓信封。

Tā mǎi le yī dá xìnfēng.

He bought a stack of envelopes.

妈妈整理好那沓旧照片。

Māma zhěnglǐ hǎo nà dá jiù zhàopiàn.

Mom sorted out that stack of old photos.

办公室里有好几沓文件。

Bàngōngshì lǐ yǒu hǎo jǐ dá wénjiàn.

There are several stacks of documents in the office.

他把杂志沓整齐放在架上。

Tā bǎ zázhì dá zhěngqí fàng zài jià shàng.

He stacked the magazines neatly on the shelf.

报告内容重沓，需要精简。

Bàogào nèiróng chóngtà, xūyào jīngjiǎn.

The report content is repetitive and needs to be streamlined.

市场里人声杂沓，十分热闹。

Shìchǎng lǐ rénshēng zátà, shífēn rènào.

The market is noisy with crowded voices, very lively.

面对沓杂的数据，分析师感到头疼。

Miànduì tàzá de shùjù, fēnxīshī gǎndào tóuténg.

Facing the disorderly data, the analyst feels a headache.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 日

Component: 水

沓