How to Write 趔 (liè) — Meaning “To stumble; to stagger.”

Picture a person trying to walk (走) but their foot hits a line or row (列) on the ground, causing them to trip and stagger. The image of a straight line (列) suddenly breaking their balance helps connect the components to the meaning.

Write the 走 radical first, making sure its last stroke (a long downward-left sweep) stays compact. The right part 列 begins with a horizontal stroke, then a left-falling stroke, and ends with a vertical cut; a common mistake is making 列 too wide or misplacing the dot-like stroke at the top of 歹.

趔 means "to stumble" and uses 列 on the right, while 趁 (chèn) means "to take advantage of" and has 刍 on the right. 趄 (jū/qiè) often appears in the compound 趔趄 but alone can mean "to hesitate" or "to stagger"; visually, 趄 has 且 (a table-like shape) instead of 列.

趔 is used in descriptive writing to show unsteady walking, like someone drunk or injured. It appears mainly in the compound 趔趄 (stagger) or in phrases like 趔了一步 (stumbled a step). It is not common in daily conversation and is considered a literary or advanced vocabulary item.

Common words containing 趔 include: 趔趄 (liè qiè) — To stagger; to stumble.; 趔了一步 (liè le yī bù) — Stumbled a step.; 趔趔趄趄 (liè liè qiè jū) — Staggering; faltering..