跛 meaning and stroke order
Lame
How to write 跛, stroke by stroke
12 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 跛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to limp
- lame
- crippled
How 跛 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Foot.
足 gives the meaning and 皮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 足 (foot), shared by 119 characters on this site.
How to remember 跛
The foot radical 足 on the left tells you this is about walking, and 皮 (pí) on the right gives the sound. Picture a foot with a sore patch of skin 皮 that makes you limp.
跛 (bǒ) mostly appears in compounds like 跛脚 (bǒjiǎo), which can be a verb meaning to limp or an adjective meaning lame. Example: 他走路有点跛。(Tā zǒulù yǒudiǎn bǒ.) He walks with a slight limp.
Common mistake: Learners often read 跛 as pí or pō because of the phonetic 皮, but the correct reading is bǒ with a third tone. Also do not confuse it with 被 (bèi) or 破 (pò), which share the 皮 part but have different radicals and meanings.
Common words with 跛
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 跛脚 | bǒjiǎo | to limp; lame person | |
| 跛子 | bǒzi | lame person; cripple |
跛 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 跛
How many strokes are in 跛?
跛 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 跛 mean?
跛 (bǒ) means lame. A common word with it is 跛脚 (bǒjiǎo), meaning "to limp; lame person".
How do you pronounce 跛?
跛 is pronounced bǒ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 跛?
The radical of 跛 is 足, which carries the idea of "foot". Dictionaries list 跛 under this radical.
Is 跛子 (bǒzi) offensive?
Yes, 跛子 is considered rude when used to describe a person, much like the English word cripple. In polite speech, people say 腿脚不方便 (tuǐjiǎo bù fāngbiàn) or 行动不便 (xíngdòng búbiàn) instead.
Does 跛 have any other pronunciation?
In modern standard Mandarin, 跛 is read bǒ. You may see bì in classical texts, meaning to stand leaning on one foot, but learners only need bǒ for everyday use.