蹈 meaning and stroke order
To dance, to stamp the feet
How to write 蹈, stroke by stroke
17 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 蹈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to tread on
- to trample
- to stamp
- to fulfill
- Taiwan pr. [dao4]
How 蹈 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Foot.
足 gives the meaning and 舀 hints at the sound.
Radical: 足 (foot), shared by 119 characters on this site.
How to remember 蹈
The foot radical 足 on the left shows this is about feet, and 舀 (yǎo, to scoop) on the right gives the sound. Picture feet stamping up and down as if scooping the ground in a dance.
蹈 (dǎo) rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears mainly in 舞蹈 (wǔdǎo, dance) and in set idioms like 循规蹈矩 and 赴汤蹈火, where it means to tread or step. Example: 她从小学习舞蹈。(Tā cóng xiǎo xuéxí wǔdǎo.) She has studied dance since she was little.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 蹈 with 稻 (dào, rice plant) and 滔 (tāo, surging), which share the same right side 舀. Check the left part: only 蹈 has the foot 足. Also note mainland pinyin is third tone dǎo, though Taiwan says dào.
Common words with 蹈
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 舞蹈 | wǔdǎo | dance (performance art); dancing | HSK 6 |
| 重蹈覆辙 | chóngdǎofùzhé | lit. to follow in the tracks of an overturned cart (idiom); fig. to follow a path that led | |
| 循规蹈矩 | xúnguīdǎojǔ | to follow the compass and go with the set square (idiom); to follow the rules inflexibly; | |
| 赴汤蹈火 | fùtāngdǎohuǒ | lit. to jump into scalding water and plunge into raging fire (idiom); fig. to brave any da | |
| 舞蹈家 | wǔdǎojiā | dancer | |
| 重蹈 | chóngdǎo | (fig.) to follow (a path that has proved ill-advised) |
蹈 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 蹈
How many strokes are in 蹈?
蹈 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蹈 mean?
蹈 (dǎo) means to dance, to stamp the feet. A common word with it is 舞蹈 (wǔdǎo), meaning "dance (performance art); dancing".
How do you pronounce 蹈?
蹈 is pronounced dǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 蹈?
The radical of 蹈 is 足, which carries the idea of "foot". Dictionaries list 蹈 under this radical.
Is 蹈 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 蹈 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 舞蹈 and 跳舞?
舞蹈 (wǔdǎo) is a noun for dance as an art form or performance. 跳舞 (tiàowǔ) is a verb phrase meaning to dance. You say 我喜欢跳舞 for the activity and 舞蹈表演 for a dance performance.
What does 重蹈覆辙 mean and when is it used?
重蹈覆辙 (chóngdǎofùzhé) literally means to tread again in the tracks of an overturned cart. It is used to warn against repeating a past mistake, for example 我们不能重蹈覆辙 (We must not make the same mistake again).