跚

shān

册 + 𧾷

Definitions

shān used in 蹣跚|蹒跚[pán shān]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 足 represents the meaning and 册 represents the sound.

Semantic: 足 Phonetic: 册

About

跚 is a phono-semantic compound: 足 (foot) on the left marks the meaning as related to walking or leg movement, while 册 on the right gives the pronunciation. Etymological interpretations also suggest that 册 may visually hint at the segmented, irregular quality of an unsteady gait. In modern Chinese, the character appears almost exclusively in the word 蹒跚, describing a limping or staggering walk, often due to old age, injury, or physical impairment.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

老人走路蹒跚。

Lǎo rén zǒu lù pán shān.

The old man walks unsteadily.

小孩学步时蹒跚。

Xiǎo hái xué bù shí pán shān.

The toddler staggers when learning to walk.

他喝醉后脚步蹒跚。

Tā hē zuì hòu jiǎo bù pán shān.

He staggers after getting drunk.

在冰上行走容易蹒跚。

Zài bīng shàng xíng zǒu róng yì pán shān.

It's easy to stagger when walking on ice.

受伤的运动员蹒跚着离开球场。

Shòu shāng de yùn dòng yuán pán shān zhe lí kāi qiú chǎng.

The injured athlete limped off the court.

尽管腿疼，他仍蹒跚前行。

Jǐn guǎn tuǐ téng, tā réng pán shān qián xíng.

Despite leg pain, he still staggers forward.

夜幕中，一个黑影蹒跚地穿过街道。

Yè mù zhōng, yī gè hēi yǐng pán shān de chuān guò jiē dào.

In the night, a dark figure staggers across the street.

经济衰退后，许多企业蹒跚在破产边缘。

Jīng jì shuāi tuì hòu, xǔ duō qǐ yè pán shān zài pò chǎn biān yuán.

After the economic recession, many companies stagger on the brink of bankruptcy.

Related Characters

Component: 册

Component: 𧾷

跚