How to Write 蹈 (dǎo) — Meaning “To step; to tread; to dance”

Think of a dancer (足) who "scoops" the floor with their feet as they move — 舀 looks like a hand scooping water. So 蹈 means "to dance or step" because your feet scoop the ground rhythmically.

The left radical 足 has 7 strokes — be careful to write the vertical stroke after the mouth part, not before. The right side 舀 has 10 strokes: start with the top claw (爫), then write the middle 臼 (rice mortar) with a horizontal stroke through the middle, and finish with a small 凵 shape at the bottom. Keep the whole character balanced and not too wide.

蹈 specifically means to step or dance with a rhythmic, deliberate motion, while 踏 (tà) means to step on or stamp, often with more force. 䠀 (chǎng) is a rare character meaning to walk open-legged; it is not commonly used. In everyday Chinese, 蹈 appears in words like 舞蹈 (dance) and 手舞足蹈 (jumping for joy), while 踏 is used in 踏实 (steady) and 踏板 (pedal).

蹈 is most common in formal or literary contexts, especially in 舞蹈 (dance) and idioms like 循规蹈矩 (to follow rules) or 手舞足蹈 (to dance with joy). Culturally, 蹈 appears in traditional Chinese dance terms and in Confucian idioms about proper behavior, so it carries both artistic and moral weight.

Common words containing 蹈 include: 舞蹈 (wǔ dǎo) — Dance; 手舞足蹈 (shǒu wǔ zú dǎo) — Dancing with joy.; 循规蹈矩 (xún guī dǎo jǔ) — To follow the rules; to behave oneself..