跑步 meaning in English

跑步 is the everyday word for running or jogging as exercise, and it usually works as a verb on its own without an object. You often see it with time or place words. Example: 我每天早上跑步。(Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang pǎobù.) I go running every morning.

跑步 combines 跑 (pǎo, to run) with 步 (bù, step). Think of it as "running steps": the foot part 足 on the left of 跑 reminds you that your feet are doing the work.

Common mistake: Learners often add an object, as in 跑步五公里. That sounds unnatural. Say 跑五公里 (pǎo wǔ gōnglǐ) instead, because 跑步 already contains its own object 步. Also keep 跑 in the third tone; do not let it drift to a flat pāo.