沱
tuó
rivers, streams, waterways; to flow (often in profusion)
Meaning
Water in motion, specifically characterized by volume or a pouring quality.
1. Toponymy: Used as a proper noun for specific rivers or waterways.
2. Reduplicated form (沱沱): Describes the profusion of liquid, such as heavy rain, streaming tears, or a broad, rushing river.
Grammar and usage
- Noun: Refers to specific bodies of water.
- Adverbial/Predicate Adjective: In reduplicated form (沱沱), it describes the manner of flow rather than the object itself.
Distinctions
Distinguished from the general term for flow (流) by an emphasis on the visceral nature of the movement—splashing, streaming, or pouring.
History and forms
- Semantic variant: U+6CB2.
- Tang-period reading: dhɑ.
Graphical notes
The element 佗 serves as the phonetic component.
Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.