How to Write 迈 (mài) — Meaning “to step; to stride”

Imagine a person taking a giant stride that covers "ten thousand" (万) steps, shown by the walking radical 辶. Picture someone stepping over a huge number on the ground. This links the sound "mài" with the idea of a big forward movement.

First write the right part 万: horizontal stroke, then horizontal with a hook (折钩), then a left-falling stroke (撇). Then add the radical 辶: first a dot, then a horizontal with a zigzag (横折折撇), and finally a downward diagonal (捺). A common mistake is making the 辶 too small or not wrapping it around the 万 properly.

迈 has the component 万 inside, while 巡 has three wavy strokes (巛) representing a patrol path, and 边 has 力 (strength) meaning "side." In usage, 迈 means "to step" (e.g., 迈步), 巡 means "to patrol" (e.g., 巡逻), and 边 means "edge" (e.g., 旁边). Visually, the inner part is the key difference.

迈 appears in common words like 迈步 (to take a step) and 年迈 (elderly, literally "years stepped"). It also conveys boldness in 豪迈 (heroic and bold). Culturally, 迈 implies a purposeful forward movement, often associated with progress or the passage of time in age.

Common words containing 迈 include: 迈步 (mài bù) — to take a step; 年迈 (nián mài) — Elderly; 豪迈 (háo mài) — Heroic and bold.