跛 (bǒ) — (bound form) lame, crippled, limping

Definition

Bound-form root meaning 'lame / limping' — appears only as a combining element in words like 跛脚 and 跛腿. Never used alone.

bound form

lamecrippledlimping

跛。
Tā zǒu lù yǒu diǎn bǒ jiǎo.
He walks with a slight limp.
。
Nà ge bǒ zi zǒu dé hěn màn.
That lame person walks very slowly.
跛。
Tā de bǒ tuǐ shì xiǎo shí hou shuāi shāng de.
His lame leg was injured in a fall when he was young.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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

皮

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

跛 has 足 (foot) on one side and 皮 on the other; 足 is the foot part, and 皮 gives the sound.

Appears in