逃

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

辵 (쉬엄쉬엄 갈 착) — semantic component, indicating motion, walking, or travel.

兆 (억조 조) — phonetic component, providing the sound táo / do and implying sign or omen.

Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字) defines:

「逃，亡也。从辵兆聲。」

“逃 means to flee or escape; composed of 辵 (movement) and the sound 兆.”

The graph depicts a person in motion toward departure, emphasizing the act of fleeing or escaping rather than calm travel.

Its semantic range includes both physical escape and figurative avoidance.

逃 (도) — to flee; to escape

逃亡 (도망) — flight; escape; to flee

逃走 (도주) — to run away

逃避 (도피) — to avoid; to evade

逃脫 (도탈) — to break free; to escape from confinement

逃出 (도출) — to run out; to get away

逃遁 (도둔) — to flee into hiding; to retreat secretly

逃學 (도학) — truancy; skipping school

逃稅 (도세) — tax evasion

逃役 (도역) — draft evasion

逃城 (도성) — fleeing from a city (archaic)

逃災 (도재) — to escape calamity

逃債 (도채) — to flee debt

In figurative expressions:

도피처 (逃避處) — refuge; hiding place.

도망자 (逃亡者) — fugitive; refugee.

도주범 (逃走犯) — runaway criminal.

The Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典) records:

「逃，亡也，避也。」

“逃 means to flee or to avoid.”

In classical texts, 逃 was used not only for physical flight but also for moral and existential withdrawal.

For example, in the Zhuangzi (莊子·人間世):

「逃世之塵垢。」

“To flee the dust and defilement of the world.”

Here, 逃 connotes spiritual detachment rather than literal escape.

Similarly, the Book of Han (漢書·刑法志) uses 逃 in administrative contexts:

「亡命逃竄者。」

“Those who fled and concealed themselves from punishment.”

Graphically, the 辵 radical denotes movement, while the phonetic 兆 lends its sound and abstract connotation of “foretelling or sign,” perhaps suggesting premeditated flight — one who senses danger and departs early.

In Korean and Chinese idiomatic use, 逃 can be neutral or pejorative depending on context:

neutral: 도피(逃避) “to withdraw from danger.”

negative: 도망(逃亡) “to abscond or shirk responsibility.”

In philosophical literature, 逃 can represent a Daoist virtue of withdrawal — “escaping” the entanglements of politics and ambition to preserve the purity of the self.

In contrast, Confucian writers often used it disapprovingly, as avoidance of moral duty.

Thus, the moral tone of 逃 depends on intention:

- cowardice if fleeing obligation;

- wisdom if escaping corruption.

逃, combining 辵 (“movement”) and 兆 (“sign”), originally signified “to move away in anticipation,” hence “to flee or escape.”

Its meanings expanded to encompass physical flight, evasion, avoidance, and moral withdrawal.

From fugitives and exiles to hermits and sages, 逃 marks both the instinct to survive and the will to transcend.