ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

to sit / to travel by

zuò
7 strokes · 两个 人 在 土 (earth) 上 · HSK 1

Where 坐 comes from

坐 is a vivid picture: two people (人人) sitting on the earth (土), facing each other — exactly what 'to sit' looks like. The character hasn't lost that little scene in 3,000 years.

坐 in Chinese culture

坐 means 'to sit' — 请坐 (please sit / have a seat) is everyday courtesy you'll hear the moment you visit anyone. But 坐 has a second job: 'to travel BY' a vehicle, because you sit in it — 坐车 (take a car/bus), 坐飞机 (take a plane, 'sit a flying-machine'), 坐船 (go by boat). So when a Chinese friend asks 你坐什么来? they mean 'How did you get here?'.

Example

请坐 qǐng zuò — please sit / have a seat

请坐。
Qǐng zuò.
Please have a seat.

How to remember it

Two people (人人) on the ground (土), facing each other — to SIT.

坐 also means 'to take' a vehicle — because you sit in it: 坐车 (by car), 坐飞机 (by plane). 你坐什么来? = 'How did you get here?'

Same sound, different tones

2nd zuó
yesterday
3rd zuǒ
left
4th zuò
to sit

Words unlocked by 坐

请坐 qǐng zuò
please sit
坐下 zuò xià
to sit down
LEARN 坐 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 169-character HSK library · iOS