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蹶 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
蹶juéto stumble, to fall; to trampleg, 19 strokes, radical 足, rank #50063, Very Hard
蹶juéto kick (of horse)unknown, 19 strokes, radical 足, rank #50063, Very Hard
蹶juěto stumble, to fall; to trampleg, 19 strokes, radical 足, rank #50063, Very Hard
蹶juěto kick (of horse)unknown, 19 strokes, radical 足, rank #50063, Very Hard
jué(jue2)
primary
 T2
  1. 1to stumble, to fall; to trample
  2. 2to kick (of horse)
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

蹶jué(jue2)

The character 蹶 (jué) primarily means to stumble or fall, often used in contexts where someone trips or loses their footing. It can also imply trampling or kicking, especially in reference to animals like horses. This word is often associated with physical mishaps or actions that involve sudden loss of balance.

Strokes19Radical足Frequency#50063DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, the concept of stumbling can carry metaphorical meaning, often related to life's unexpected challenges or misfortunes. The imagery of falling can represent setbacks that one must overcome.

Memory Tip

Imagine a horse (the radical '足' meaning foot) that stumbles and kicks up dirt as it falls. The shape of 蹶 resembles a foot in motion, emphasizing the act of tripping and falling, and the sound 'jué' can remind you of a sudden 'oops' as one stumbles.

Meanings of 蹶

jué(jue2)
primary
1to stumble, to fall; to trample
2to kick (of horse)
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 蹶

蹶Simplified
19Strokes
足Radical
语素morpheme (morph.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 蹶

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Podcast: 蹶

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AI Study Notes for 蹶

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 蹶 with other characters that have similar pronunciations but different meanings. It is primarily used in informal contexts. Common collocations include 尥蹶子 (liao4 jue3 zi5), which refers to a specific type of stumble or tripping action.

HSK Study Tips

While 蹶 is not an HSK word, it can be connected to HSK level 3 words related to movement and action, such as 跑 (pǎo, to run) and 路 (lù, road). Focus on understanding its usage in context, particularly in phrases that describe actions.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 蹶 with similar-sounding characters, leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我蹶了' (wǒ jué le) may sound correct, but it should specify the context, such as '我摔倒了' (wǒ shuāi dǎo le) for 'I fell down' instead.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 蹶

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Etymology of 蹶

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

foot

Semantic (meaning)足
+
Phonetic (sound)厥
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 蹶

  1. 1The meaning half足 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half厥 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayfoot
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 蹶? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 蹶?

Decomposition of 蹶

IDS Structure⿰足厥
蹶Full Character
=
足ju4
left
厥jue2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 蹶?

How to say to stumble, to fall; to trample in Chinese

“to stumble, to fall; to trample” in Chinese is蹶jué

The character 蹶 (jué) primarily means to stumble or fall, often used in contexts where someone trips or loses their footing. It can also imply trampling or kicking, especially in reference to animals like horses. This word is often associated with physical mishaps or actions that involve sudden loss of balance.

When to use 蹶

Be careful not to confuse 蹶 with other characters that have similar pronunciations but different meanings. It is primarily used in informal contexts. Common collocations include 尥蹶子 (liao4 jue3 zi5), which refers to a specific type of stumble or tripping action.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 蹶 with similar-sounding characters, leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我蹶了' (wǒ jué le) may sound correct, but it should specify the context, such as '我摔倒了' (wǒ shuāi dǎo le) for 'I fell down' instead.

Write 蹶

蹶

Practice writing 蹶 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 蹶

Words Containing This Character3
一蹶不振ruined at a stroke
蹶juéto stumble
尥蹶子to kick with the hind legs
Exercise 1 of 3

Compound Meaning

What does 一蹶不振 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 蹶

A common phrase is 尥蹶子, which describes the act of stumbling or tripping.

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 蹶?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.