吐

Phono-semantic compound:

口 (입 구) — semantic element, representing the mouth.

土 (흙 토) — phonetic element, providing the sound to and the sense of “expelling matter.”

The earliest forms (bronze and seal scripts) depict a mouth emitting something heavy or solid, metaphorically “spitting out earth.”

This visual conveys the core idea of expulsion or discharge from the mouth — whether literal (vomiting, spitting) or figurative (speaking, revealing).

토하다 (吐) — to vomit, to spit out

구토(嘔吐) — vomiting, emesis

토혈(吐血) — to vomit blood

토로(吐露) — to confess, to express one’s heart

토설(吐說) — to speak out what was hidden

In modern Korean, 吐 appears both in medical vocabulary (as in 구토, 토사) and in literary expressions for emotional release (토로하다, “to pour out one’s heart”).

In ancient medical literature, 吐 was classified under the category of excretory actions (出物), describing the upward expulsion of internal contents.

The Huangdi Neijing (黃帝內經) contrasts 吐 (upward discharge) with 瀉 (downward discharge) — one through the mouth, the other through the bowels.

In rhetoric and literature, 吐 extended metaphorically to speech and revelation, as in:

吐言 (“to utter words”)

吐露心曲 (“to express one’s innermost feelings”)

Thus, the character came to symbolize both physical release and emotional honesty.

Cultural & symbolic notes:

Because 吐 implies releasing what is hidden within, it became a literary symbol of purification and confession — expelling impurity, deceit, or burden.

In Confucian moral discourse, 토로하다 (吐露) represents honest self-disclosure; in Buddhist texts, 吐 often symbolizes letting go of defilement or karmic poison.

The same act of “vomiting” also carries spiritual resonance — purging what the heart cannot contain.

Thus, 吐 bridges the body and the mind, uniting physical expulsion and emotional catharsis.

「吐故納新」

“Expel the old and receive the new.” — an ancient Daoist maxim describing renewal through purification.

Symbolic interpretation:

吐 embodies the act of releasing what is within — whether toxin, word, or truth.

It suggests a moment of purification through expression, echoing both the body’s instinct and the spirit’s need to unburden.

“The mouth expels not only breath, but the heart’s truth — 吐者, 以誠出也.”

“To vomit (吐) is to let truth flow outward.”