坐 (zuò): to sit
坐 (zuò) is a Chinese character meaning “to sit.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 从 (structural) and 土 (structural). It ranks #611 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 坐 two people 从 sitting on the ground 土. Its radical form 土 (earth) appears in many related characters such as 在 (zài, to exist), 地 (dì, earth, ground), 场 (chǎng, field, place).
Definitions
- to sit
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTwo people 从 sitting on the ground 土
Decomposition: ⿻从土 (layout: overlay)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 坐 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 坐
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 坐下verb | zuò xia | to sit down |
| 坐牢verb | zuò láo | to be imprisoned |
| 坐标 | zuò biāo | variant of 座標|坐标 |
| 坐以待毙phrase | zuò yǐ dài bì | to sit and wait for death (idiom) |
| 坐立不安phrase | zuò lì bù ān | lit. agitated sitting or standing (idiom) |
| 坐等verb | zuò děng | to sit and wait |
| 坐骑noun | zuò qí | saddle horse |
| 坐落verb | zuò luò | to be situated |
| 坐垫noun | zuò diàn | cushion |
| 坐冷板凳verb | zuò lěng bǎn dèng | to hold an inconsequential job |
| 静坐verb | jìng zuò | to sit quietly |
| 如坐针毡phrase | rú zuò zhēn zhān | lit. as if sitting on pins and needles (idiom) |
| 仰卧起坐noun | yǎng wò qǐ zuò | sit-up (physical exercise) |
| 坐姿noun | zuò zī | sitting posture |
| 闲坐 | xián zuò | to sit around |
坐 appears in 100 compound words: 57 as the first character, 28 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 坐 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (18)
lit. don't sit under the eaves (where tiles may fall from the roof) (idiom); fig. keep out of danger
to hold an unimportant post and be neglected; to be sidelined; to be given the cold shoulder
to fidget; to be on tenterhooks; to feel uneasy; to be restless and agitated
Showing 12 of 18 idioms containing 坐.
Example Sentences
请坐，我们马上开始讨论今天的议题。
Qǐng zuò, wǒmen mǎshang kāishǐ tǎolùn jīntiān de yìtí.
Please sit down; we will begin discussing today's topics shortly.
...展览周日揭幕 小学生发明AI分析座椅纠正坐姿
. . . zhǎn lǎn zhōu rì jiē mù xiǎo xué shēng fā míng A I fēn xī zuò yǐ jiū zhèng zuò zī
... The exhibition opened on Sunday Elementary school students invent AI analysis seats to correct sitting posture
遇拖吊业者坐地起价 律师:先搜证自保
yù tuō diào yè zhě zuò dì qǐ jià lǜ shī : xiān sōu zhèng zì bǎo
When the towing industry sits on the ground and raises the price Lawyer: First collect evidence to protect yourself
(新春走基层)山西新绛:七星坡上坐满看戏人
( xīn chūn zǒu jī céng ) shān xī xīn 绛 : qī xīng pō shàng zuò mǎn kàn xì rén
(New Year at the grassroots level) Shanxi Xinjiang: The Qixing Slope is full of theatergoers
坐拥百万粉丝的他,为何归零重启,一头扎进金...
zuò yōng bǎi mò fěn sī de tā , wéi hé guī líng chóng qǐ , yī tóu zhā jìn jīn . . .
He has millions of fans, why zero reboot, head into the gold...
(新春走基层)福建福州:民众春节免费乘坐地铁出行
xīn chūn zǒu jī céng fú jiàn fú zhōu mín zhòng chūn jié miǎn fèi chéng zuò dì tiě chū háng
(Chinese New Year) Fuzhou, Fujian: people travel free on the subway in the Spring Festival
坐在角落的那个男人是谁？
Zuò zài jiǎoluò de nàge nánrén shì shéi?
Who is the man sitting in the corner?
比如说，我要到市中心，有什么车子可以坐吗？
Bǐrú shuō, wǒ yào dào shìzhōngxīn, yǒu shénme chēzi kěyǐ zuò ma?
For example, if I want to get downtown what bus should I take?
我坐过站了，怎么办？
Wǒ zuò guo zhàn le, zěnmebàn?
I missed my stop. What should I do?
你是否坐公共汽车去上学？
Nǐ shìfǒu zuò gōnggòngqìchē qù shàngxué?
Do you go to school by bus?
Character Family
土 Radical Family — Characters sharing the earth radical
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 坐 (zuò)?
Is 坐 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 坐 with real-time feedback
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