How to Write 跂 (qí) — Meaning “to stand on tiptoe”

Imagine the right side 支 looks like a person standing on tiptoe with arms up, and the left side 足 reminds you it is a foot action. Another trick: the cross (十) in 支 is like a goal you try to reach, so you stand on tiptoe to see over it.

Write the left radical 足 narrow and tall, with the bottom part 止 having a short horizontal stroke. The right side 支 should be the same height, with the top cross (十) centered and the bottom 又 balanced. A common mistake is making the left side too wide, so keep the whole character compact.

跂 (qí) means to stand on tiptoe, while 趴 (pā) means to lie face down or crawl. They look different: 跂 has 支 on the right, 趴 has 八 (eight). 趵 (bào) means to stamp or kick, and its right side is 勺 (spoon), so the right side tells you the action.

跂 is mostly found in formal or literary Chinese, not in everyday conversation. For example, in the word 跂望 (qí wàng), it means to look forward to something eagerly, like standing on tiptoe to see. You might see it in classical poetry or formal writing.

Common words containing 跂 include: 跂望 (qí wàng) — to look forward to; to stand on tiptoe to look; 跂立 (qí lì) — to stand on tiptoe; 跂足 (qí zú) — to stand on tiptoe.