瘸腿 (qué tuǐ) — lame (of a person or animal)

Definition

adjective
lame (of a person or animal)

Examples

  • 瘸腿，。
    Wǒ yù dào yí gè qué tuǐ de rén, tā zǒu dé hěn màn.
    I met a lame person; he walks very slowly.
  • 瘸腿。
    Nà zhī qué tuǐ de gǒu hái néng pǎo dé hěn kuài.
    That lame dog can still run very fast.
  • ，瘸腿。
    Tā de yé ye yīn wèi nián jì dà, yǒu diǎn qué tuǐ le.
    His grandfather is a bit lame because of old age.

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.

瘸quélame
腿tuǐleg

瘸 means lame and 腿 means leg; a lame leg describes a lame person or animal.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèsickness
肉肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
加
加jiā瘸qué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

瘸 is built from 疒 (sickness), 肉 (flesh), and 加 (used for sound).

Open 瘸 →

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
肉肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
退
退tuì腿tuǐ
Same sound today

The 肉 part is flesh, showing a body part; the 退 part gives the sound.

Open 腿 →
Appears in
Injury & Disability

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