踏足 (tà zú) — to set foot in/on (a place); to visit (a place)

Definition

Literary/书面语 verb meaning 'to set foot in' a place — implies a notable or first visit, not casual travel. Use it for poetic or formal writing rather than everyday speech.

verb
to set foot in/on (a place)to visit (a place)

Examples

  • 踏足
    Tā dì yī cì tà zú zhè piàn tǔ dì shí, fēi cháng jī dòng.
    He was very excited when he first set foot on this land.
  • Tā zhī zài yà zhōu tà guò yí cì zú.
    He has only set foot in Asia once.
  • 踏足
    Xǔ duō yóu kè dōu xī wàng tà zú nán jí zhōu.
    Many tourists hope to set foot on Antarctica.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

tread
foot

踏 means tread and 足 means foot; together they mean to set foot in a place.

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
foot
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

踏 has 足 (foot) as its left part to show a foot-related meaning, and 沓 as its right part to give the sound.

Open 踏 →

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

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Open 足 →

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