How to Write 跞 (lì) — Meaning “to move”

Imagine a foot (足) dancing happily to music (乐) — the foot moves and jumps with the beat. This visual links the radical (foot) and the sound component (music) to the meaning 'to move'. You can think of 'leaping in joy' to recall both pronunciation and meaning.

Pay attention to the left-right balance: the left radical 足 should be slightly narrower than the right part 乐. The bottom of the foot (the last two strokes 撇 and 捺) should not extend too far under 乐. A common mistake is making the right side's vertical hook too short or missing the small dot on top left of 乐.

跞 has 乐 on the right, while 趵 has 勺 (spoon) and 趸 has 万 (ten thousand). Their meanings also differ: 跞 means 'to move' or appears in 卓跞 (outstanding), 趵 is used in the place name 趵突泉 (a famous spring), and 趸 means 'wholesale' or 'to purchase in bulk'. Visually, the right sides are distinct even though all share the 足 radical.

跞 is not common in daily conversation; it appears mainly in literary or formal expressions. The most common word is 卓跞 (zhuó lì), meaning 'extraordinary' or 'outstanding', often used to praise exceptional talent or achievement. You may also encounter 跞动 (lì dòng, to jump or move) in classical texts, but it is very rare in modern usage.

Common words containing 跞 include: 卓跞 (zhuó lì) — extraordinary; outstanding; 跞动 (lì dòng) — to jump or move; 跞跞 (lì lì) — moving about.