[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Anatomy-and-Living \ #Foot-Actions # 去 qù to go ## Components [[土 tǔ]] [[土 (tǔ)]] [[厶 (sī)]] ## Meaning Today, the character 去 (qù) primarily means "to go" or "to leave." It is commonly used in various contexts, such as 去哪里 (qù nǎlǐ), meaning "where to go," and 去年 (qùnián), meaning "last year." The character retains its original sense of departure and movement, and it can also imply the idea of removing something, as in 去掉 (qùdiào), which means "to remove" or "to get rid of." ## History The character 去 (qù) is a compound ideogram and phonetic symbol, originally meaning "to leave." In oracle bone script, the character consists of a "person" (人) at the top and "mouth" (口) at the bottom, symbolizing that ancient people lived in caves, with "mouth" representing the entrance. Therefore, the overall meaning conveys the idea of leaving one's dwelling. Additionally, 去 can imply distance; for instance, in the text from 《列子•汤问》, the phrase "日始出时去人近" means that when the sun rises, it is close to people. The contemporary expression "相去甚远" (to be quite far apart) also reflects this sense of distance associated with the character. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[去 ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ? ### Seal Script ![[去 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[去 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[去 reg.svg]]