跌跌撞撞

diēdiēzhuàngzhuàng

adverb #24,053

Meanings

1 stumbling and staggering
2 lurching along
3 reeling as if about to fall

Characters

to fall; to trip

to fall; to trip (repeated for AABB pattern)

to bump; to collide

to bump; to collide (repeated for AABB pattern)

Examples

他喝醉了，跌跌撞撞地走回家。

Tā hēzuì le, diēdiē zhuàngzhuàng de zǒu huí jiā.

He was drunk and staggered home.

小孩学走路，跌跌撞撞的，很可爱。

Xiǎohái xué zǒulù, diēdiē zhuàngzhuàng de, hěn kě'ài.

The toddler learning to walk, stumbling and lurching, was very cute.

他跌跌撞撞地穿过人群。

Tā diēdiē zhuàngzhuàng de chuānguò rénqún.

He staggered through the crowd.

Tips

grammar

跌跌撞撞 is an AABB reduplicated form. 跌 means 'to fall/trip' and 撞 means 'to bump/collide'. The AABB reduplication intensifies and vividly describes the manner — lurching from trip to bump repeatedly. It functions as an adverb before 地.

usage

Can be used literally (drunk/injured walking) or figuratively (a business stumbling through difficulties, e.g. 公司跌跌撞撞走到了今天).

Stroke Order

跌 diē

撞 zhuàng