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脚下 (jiǎo xià) — under one's foot / underfoot; (temporal) the present moment / right now; (figurative) close at hand / immediate

Definition

Literally 'under the feet,' it extends to mean the present moment or whatever is immediately within reach — often used in literary or reflective writing rather than plain speech.

noun
under one's foot / underfoot(temporal) the present moment / right now(figurative) close at hand / immediate

Examples

  • 脚下，。
    Zǒu lù shí yào xiǎo xīn jiǎo xià, bié shuāi dǎo le.
    When walking, be careful underfoot — don't fall.
  • 脚下，。
    jiǎo xià De shí guāng cōng cōng ér guò, wǒ men yào zhēn xī.
    The time before us passes quickly; we must cherish it.
  • 脚下，。
    Xìng fú jiù zài jiǎo xià, zhǐ yào nǐ yuàn yì mài chū yí bù.
    Happiness is right under your feet — just be willing to take a step.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

脚jiǎofoot
下xiàunder

脚 (foot) and 下 (under) give the place under one's foot.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腳; 脚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat, body
Sound part声符shēngfú
卻
卻què腳jiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腳 uses ⺼ for a body part and 卻 for the sound; the simplified 脚 is a later shorthand.

Open 脚 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →
Appears in
DirectionsTime (Abstract)

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