跛 (bǒ) · to limp

Meanings

1 to limp
2 lame; crippled

Characters

跛

bǒ

lame; to limp

Examples

HSK 5

那匹马跛了一条腿。

Nà pǐ mǎ bǒ le yī tiáo tuǐ.

That horse is lame in one leg.

HSK 7-9

他受伤后走路一瘸一跛的。

Tā shòushāng hòu zǒulù yìqué-yìbǒ de.

After his injury, he walked with a limp.

Tips

usage

Can function as both adjective and verb. As a verb it means 'to limp,' as an adjective it means 'lame.' Often seen in the compound 跛脚 (bǒjiǎo, lame-footed).

Components

radical

足 zú

foot

Left 足 is the foot radical, indexing 跛 in the walking / foot-motion family (跑 run, 跳 jump, 踢 kick, 跌 stumble). Marks the character as describing something done with the legs; here, walking unevenly. The radical immediately tells you the right side modifies a foot-action, not literal hide.

phonetic

皮 pí

skin; hide

Right 皮 supplies the sound - pí drifting to bǒ via the old p-/b- alternation, the same shift behind 波 wave, 玻 glass. The 'skin' meaning of 皮 doesn't contribute; it is a pure sound-tag picking up the lame-foot reading. Same phonetic series: 颇, 破, 婆 - all carrying a related pō / pó / pò syllable shape.