跟斗 (gēn dǒu) — somersault; fall (as in tripping or tumbling)

Definition

A colloquial word for a somersault or tumble. The standard written form is 跟头; 跟斗 is the same word in everyday speech.

noun

somersaultfall (as in tripping or tumbling)

跟斗。
Dì di zài cǎo dì shàng fān le jǐ gè gēn dǒu.
My younger brother did a few somersaults on the grass.
跟斗。
Tā zǒu lù bù xiǎo xīn shuāi le yí gè gēn dǒu.
He wasn't careful while walking and took a fall.
跟斗。
Zá jì yǎn yuán lián xù fān le shí gè gēn dǒu.
The acrobat did ten somersaults in a row.

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

跟 and 斗 carry no meaning of their own here; together they name a somersault or tumble.

Sound-only characters

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

足足zúfoot

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

Same sound today

跟 is built from 足 (foot) plus 艮. The 足 part ties the character to foot-related senses, while 艮 gives the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 斗 originally showed a ladle-shaped dipper or cup used to measure grain, held in a hand.

Appears in