Japanese "o" (横, side) is phonetically similar to Chinese "o" (枉, to bend) and has the same meaning as bending into a sidetrack (横道に逸れる), including the following meanings:
“横”とは、“枉”（おう、ま・げる）に通じ、横道に逸れると同じ意味で、次のような意味がある。