Meaning of 跪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to kneel
How to use 跪
跪 means to kneel and often pairs with a direction word or a place, as in 跪下 (guìxia) or 跪在地上 (guì zài dì shang). Example: 他跪下向她求婚。(Tā guìxia xiàng tā qiúhūn.) He knelt down and proposed to her.
跪 combines the foot radical 足 (zú) with 危 (wēi), which means danger. Picture someone in danger dropping down onto their legs and knees to beg for mercy.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 跪 (guì) with 危 (wēi) because they share the same right side. Remember the foot radical on the left signals a body movement. Also keep the fourth tone in guì, not the second tone.
跪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
跪 guì · to kneel · 13 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
Related words
Words that share a character with 跪.
| 跪下 | guìxia | to kneel down |
| 下跪 | xiàguì | to kneel; to go down on one's knees |
| 跪拜 | guìbài | to kowtow; to kneel and worship |
Questions about 跪
What does 跪 mean?
跪 (guì) means "to kneel" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 跪?
跪 is made of 1 character: 跪 (13 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 跪 an HSK word?
Yes. 跪 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 跪下 and 下跪?
跪下 (guìxia) describes the action of kneeling down and is common in commands, like 跪下 meaning kneel down. 下跪 (xiàguì) works more like a noun or a general act, as in 他不肯下跪 (he refused to kneel).
How do you say to kneel on one knee in Chinese?
You can say 单膝跪下 (dān xī guìxia), meaning to kneel on one knee. This phrase often appears when talking about a marriage proposal.