小跑 (xiǎo páo) — to jog; to trot; to move in quick small steps | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Verb meaning to jog or trot — moving in quick, short steps, faster than walking but slower than running. Used for both people hurrying somewhere and animals (like horses) moving at a trot.

verb

to jogto trotto move in quick small steps

Examples

小跑。
Tā měi tiān zǎo chén zài gōng yuán lǐ xiǎo páo bàn xiǎo shí.
He jogs in the park for half an hour every morning.
，小跑。
Tīng dào mén líng shēng, tā xiǎo páo zhe qù kāi mén.
Hearing the doorbell, she trotted over to open the door.
小跑，。
Nà pǐ mǎ kāi shǐ xiǎo páo qǐ lái, qí shǒu hěn fàng sōng.
That horse started to trot, and the rider was very relaxed.

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.

“小” (small) and “跑” (run) combine to mean running in small, quick steps.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

八八bāto divide; to separate
丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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

包

包bāo跑pǎo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

跑 combines 足, showing a foot, with 包, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Fitness & Exercise

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.