How did lotus come to mean hold or carry? Reading a little about 'dark matter': 暗物质是宇宙的重要组成部分，它是一种比电子和光子还要小的物质，不带电荷， ....
I read: 不带电荷：doesn't carry an electric lotus! (Maybe that's why it's dark!!)
电荷： electrical charge, literally probably: electricity carry or hold
Apparently 荷 meant lotus first：Original meaning 本义: Meaning lotus.
One meaning of 荷 from zdic.net
(8) 荷：拿，持 [hold]。如:荷杖(拄着拐杖)
Maybe 荷 got this meaning of 'hold, carry' because the Buddha is often pictured sitting on a lotus?
How did this meaning arise?
Note that in today's Putonghua 荷 meaning &quot;lotus&quot; is hé (the 2nd tone) and meaning &quot;carry&quot; is hè (the 4th tone).

字源 (the image above) and a couple of other dictionaries say that the verb meaning &quot;carry&quot; was originally written as 何. Later 何 was borrowed to write the word meaning &quot;what&quot;, so the written form of the verb meaning &quot;carry&quot; was changed into 荷 to avoid confusion.
So it is a chain of borrowing!