履 meaning and stroke order
Shoes; to walk, to tread
How to write 履, stroke by stroke
15 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 履
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- shoe
- to tread on
How 履 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 尸 walking 彳; 復 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 尸 (body), shared by 40 characters on this site.
How to remember 履
Picture a person 尸 bending over, walking along a road while going back and forth 復 (fù) in their shoes. The walking part inside reminds you that 履 (lǚ) is about shoes and treading.
In modern Chinese 履 rarely appears alone and mostly shows up in formal words like 履行 (lǚxíng, to carry out) and 履历 (lǚlì, résumé). It also appears in set phrases such as 如履薄冰 (rú lǚ bó bīng, as if treading on thin ice). Example: 他履行了自己的承诺。(Tā lǚxíng le zìjǐ de chéngnuò.) He fulfilled his promise.
Common mistake: Learners often write the inside as 复 without the 彳 on the left, but 履 keeps the full 復 under 尸. The tone is third tone with ü, lǚ, not lǔ or lù, so do not drop the two dots in pinyin.
Common words with 履
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
履 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 履
How many strokes are in 履?
履 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 履 mean?
履 (lǚ) means shoes; to walk, to tread. A common word with it is 履行 (lǚxíng), meaning "to fulfill (one's obligations); to carry out (a task)".
How do you pronounce 履?
履 is pronounced lǚ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 履?
The radical of 履 is 尸, which carries the idea of "body". Dictionaries list 履 under this radical.
Is 履 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 履 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 履 used to mean shoes in everyday speech?
No. For everyday shoes people say 鞋 (xié). 履 meaning shoe survives mainly in literary or set expressions like 削足适履 (xuē zú shì lǚ, cutting the foot to fit the shoe).
How is 履历 different from 简历?
简历 (jiǎnlì) is the common word for a résumé you send to employers. 履历 (lǚlì) sounds more formal and refers to a person's full record of education and work, often in official documents.