<p>I believe its original meaning is <strong>not</strong> &quot;go to the toilet&quot;.</p>
<p>Oracle bone script (甲骨文) is the earliest known form of Chinese writing, and many characters we use now are originated from it. Therefore 甲骨文 can be used to determine a character's original meaning.</p>
<p>The picture below is the 甲骨文 for <code>去</code>:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/3VHUhm.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/3VHUhm.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>As you can see, the upper part of 去 is <code>大</code>, and the bottom part is <code>口</code>:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/an4Ues.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/an4Ues.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a> <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/fYlcbs.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fYlcbs.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><code>大</code> is the pictogram of a person spreading arms. <code>口</code> can be understand as &quot;something's mouth&quot; (example: 瓶口). The original meaning of 去 is most likely just <strong>&quot;go away&quot;</strong> since the 甲骨文 shows a person leaving the cave entrance (洞口).</p>
<p>A picture showing the evolution of the character:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lKk1q.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lKk1q.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<hr />
<h3>EDIT</h3>
<p>甲骨文 for 屎 (feces):
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/7G10Cs.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/7G10Cs.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a>
甲骨文 for 尿 (urine):
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/e6E7z.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/e6E7z.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>These two pictures may also explain why 去 is not &quot;go to the toilet&quot;, because there are already characters to express the same meaning.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-02T07:46:59.150Z
You don't think they left the cave to defaecate? The cave would get very smelly, the brutish men might accept it, but I'm sure the women would complain bitterly!
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-02T23:58:35.423Z
@Pedroski I don't think ancient people would make characters tactfully like that; their characters simply express the "literal meaning" (what happened on their "drawings").
Alan Zzz
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-03T00:32:22.203Z
OK, it was just a thought! I never meant 去 was defaecate. If you "go to the toilet" you still "go" somewhere, that's how I meant it. Thanks for your reply!
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-03T00:42:18.887Z
I have corrected that. Your idea is also reasonable because that's how ancients create characters!
Alan Zzz
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-18T02:15:48.123Z
The 甲骨文 for 去 looks to me more like a person riding a horse, the bottom part looks like a saddle. So, "to go" is to "ride away". A picture speaks a 1000 words, it also sparks a 1000 ideas. The question is why use an activity, (toiletry), which is both private and unpleasant, (in any civilization, ancient or modern), to depict a mundane action of "to go"? Also, "to go" is not confined to just toiletry; but to go to the market, to go to the well to fetch water, etc.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-30T23:55:52.457Z
2021-07-03T00:40:40.693Z
2021-07-03T00:40:40.693Z
Alan Zzz
<p>I thought its clearly a child being born, so a mouth <strong>leaving</strong> the mother's body from between her legs. I was surprised to not see this theory even suggested in my learning material.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-17T23:33:28.500Z
2024-11-17T23:33:28.500Z
Guest
<p>去 means &quot;leave&quot;， not “go to” in ancient Chinese language, and absolutely has no relationship with the toilet.</p>
<p>I get hurt by your understanding. Ancient Chinese were highly civilized.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-03T14:36:47.207Z
I guess you meant (離)去 = leave; (前)往 = go to
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-03T15:21:05.097Z
No need to abuse the OP because you disagree with them.
EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-03T14:28:16.923Z
2021-07-04T04:10:04.993Z
2021-07-04T04:10:04.993Z
Spin Lee
<p>I was looking up the character 去。</p>
<p>The old forms, 厺 㚎 show a person standing and underneath either 厶, an old form of 私, private, personal or 凵, a receptacle.</p>
<p>I know nothing of the toilet habits of the ancient Chinese. I presume they did not have elaborately built toilets in their houses and mostly just went outside behind a bush.</p>
<p>Is it remotely possible that 去 originally meant &quot;go to the toilet'?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-03T20:18:24.897Z
This is an interesting guess which may have merit to explore, but a guess is a guess, can you relate "人" (person) and "入" (enter) to their meaning in the same manner? If you can, I would like to know about it.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-04T15:59:34.287Z
If you ask a similar question about English words etymology like this,  you wil be banned permanently.
Spin Lee
<etymology>
Is it possible that 去 originally meant "go to the toilet"?
# Is it possible that 去 originally meant "go to the toilet"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-06-29)

I was looking up the character 去。

The old forms, 厺 㚎 show a person standing and underneath either 厶, an old form of 私, private, personal or 凵, a receptacle.

I know nothing of the toilet habits of the ancient Chinese. I presume they did not have elaborately built toilets in their houses and mostly just went outside behind a bush.

Is it remotely possible that 去 originally meant "go to the toilet'?

**Tags:** etymology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This is an interesting guess which may have merit to explore, but a guess is a guess, can you relate "人" (person) and "入" (enter) to their meaning in the same manner? If you can, I would like to know about it.  
> **username_2**: If you ask a similar question about English words etymology like this,  you wil be banned permanently.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-06-30. Score: 5

I believe its original meaning is **not** "go to the toilet".

Oracle bone script (甲骨文) is the earliest known form of Chinese writing, and many characters we use now are originated from it. Therefore 甲骨文 can be used to determine a character's original meaning.

The picture below is the 甲骨文 for `去`:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/3VHUhm.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/3VHUhm.png)

As you can see, the upper part of 去 is `大`, and the bottom part is `口`:
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/an4Ues.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/an4Ues.png) [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/fYlcbs.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/fYlcbs.png)

`大` is the pictogram of a person spreading arms. `口` can be understand as "something's mouth" (example: 瓶口). The original meaning of 去 is most likely just **"go away"** since the 甲骨文 shows a person leaving the cave entrance (洞口).

A picture showing the evolution of the character:
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/lKk1q.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/lKk1q.png)

---

### EDIT

甲骨文 for 屎 (feces):
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/7G10Cs.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/7G10Cs.png)
甲骨文 for 尿 (urine):
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/e6E7z.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/e6E7z.png)

These two pictures may also explain why 去 is not "go to the toilet", because there are already characters to express the same meaning.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: You don't think they left the cave to defaecate? The cave would get very smelly, the brutish men might accept it, but I'm sure the women would complain bitterly!  
> **username_3**: @username_0 I don't think ancient people would make characters tactfully like that; their characters simply express the "literal meaning" (what happened on their "drawings").  
> **username_0**: OK, it was just a thought! I never meant 去 was defaecate. If you "go to the toilet" you still "go" somewhere, that's how I meant it. Thanks for your reply!  
> **username_3**: I have corrected that. Your idea is also reasonable because that's how ancients create characters!  
> **username_4**: The 甲骨文 for 去 looks to me more like a person riding a horse, the bottom part looks like a saddle. So, "to go" is to "ride away". A picture speaks a 1000 words, it also sparks a 1000 ideas. The question is why use an activity, (toiletry), which is both private and unpleasant, (in any civilization, ancient or modern), to depict a mundane action of "to go"? Also, "to go" is not confined to just toiletry; but to go to the market, to go to the well to fetch water, etc.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2024-11-17. Score: 0

I thought its clearly a child being born, so a mouth **leaving** the mother's body from between her legs. I was surprised to not see this theory even suggested in my learning material.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-07-03. Score: 0

去 means "leave"， not “go to” in ancient Chinese language, and absolutely has no relationship with the toilet.

I get hurt by your understanding. Ancient Chinese were highly civilized.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: I guess you meant (離)去 = leave; (前)往 = go to  
> **username_7**: No need to abuse the OP because you disagree with them.  

---

