How to Write 趄 (jū/qiè) — Meaning “to lean; to recline; to hesitate”

Imagine a person walking (走) but they suddenly see a stack of boxes (the shape of 且) in their path. They hesitate and lean sideways to avoid falling, which helps you remember that 趄 means "to lean" or "to hesitate."

First write the radical 走 with 7 strokes, then the inner part 且 with 6 strokes. A common mistake is making 且 too wide — its left side should align under the left side of 走. Also, the final horizontal stroke in 且 should be slightly longer than the ones above to keep the character balanced.

趄 (jū) uses the component 且 and means "to lean" or "to stumble," while 赶 (gǎn) uses 干 and means "to hurry" or "to catch up." 起 (qǐ) uses 己 and means "to rise" or "to get up." Visually, the right-side components are different: 且 vs. 干 vs. 己, so check the shape to tell them apart.

趄 is not a common standalone character in daily speech; it mainly appears in the compound word 趔趄 (liè qie), meaning "to stagger" or "to stumble." You might encounter it in literary descriptions or when talking about someone walking unsteadily, for example after a long journey or on a slippery path.

Common words containing 趄 include: 趔趄 (liè qiè) — To stagger; to stumble.; 趄身 (jū shēn) — to lean one's body; 趄坡 (jū pō) — a slope; a slant.