How to Write 跛 (bǒ) — Meaning “lame; to limp”

Imagine a person with a foot (足) covered in thick, uncomfortable skin (皮), forcing them to walk with a painful limp. This visual of a "skin-foot" helps link the shape to the meaning of being lame.

First write the left radical 足 with its normal 7 strokes, making sure the bottom horizontal is slightly angled up. Then add 皮 on the right; a common mistake is making the right component too narrow or confusing it with 波 (bō). Keep the character balanced so the left and right sides take equal width.

跛 (bǒ) means lame, while 趵 (bào) means to kick and has 勺 (sháo) on the right instead of 皮. 趸 (dǔn) means wholesale or whole quantity and has 成 (chéng) or a different bottom component. The right-side parts are visually distinct: 皮 vs 勺 vs a combined shape.

跛 commonly appears in words like 跛脚 (bǒ jiǎo, to limp) and 跛行 (bǒ xíng, hobble), describing a walking difficulty due to injury. It can also refer to a lame person (跛子 bǒ zi), though this term may be considered blunt, so use with care in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 跛 include: 跛脚 (bǒ jiǎo) — to limp; 跛行 (bǒ xíng) — to hobble; 跛子 (bǒ zi) — lame person.