How to Write 趸 (dǔn) — Meaning “wholesale; bulk; to store up”

Imagine a shopkeeper with many feet (足) running around to stockpile ten thousand (万) items for wholesale. Picture the character as a warehouse where workers have to use their feet to move huge piles of goods. This visual link between feet and a large number helps remember that 趸 means wholesale or to store up.

Write the top part 足 first with the mouth shape (口) and then the two horizontal strokes, but note that the vertical stroke of 足 extends down to connect with the bottom component 万. A common mistake is to separate the two parts or to make the bottom 万 too wide; keep the whole character balanced and compact. The total is 10 strokes, with the bottom 万 written as horizontal, then left-falling slash, and a small hook.

趸 (dǔn) means wholesale or bulk, while 趴 (pā) means to lie face down or to crouch, and uses the same radical 足 but with a different phonetic component (八). 趵 (bào) means to jump or to stamp, as in the famous spring 趵突泉 (Bàotu Quán). Visually, 趸 has the bottom part 万, 趴 has 八, and 趵 has 勺; remember the meaning by the bottom shape: 万 for many (wholesale), 八 for spread out (lying down), and 勺 for a ladle-like action (jumping).

趸 is used mainly in business and logistics to refer to wholesale transactions, such as 趸卖 (wholesale selling) or 趸船 (a pontoon used for loading bulk goods). It is not common in everyday conversation but appears in shipping and trade contexts. Culturally, 趸船 refers to the flat-bottomed boats used along Chinese rivers to transfer cargo, reflecting the historical importance of water transport for bulk goods.

Common words containing 趸 include: 趸卖 (dǔn mài) — to sell wholesale; 趸船 (dǔn chuán) — pontoon; landing stage; 趸批 (dǔn pī) — wholesale.