跌 diē to stumble
to stumble; to slip; to fall; to trip; to drop
How to remember 跌: 𧾷 foot + 失 to lose = to stumble. Running for the bus, the man catches his foot on the curb, starts to lose his balance and begins to stumble.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
跌 = 𧾷 foot + 失 to lose
- 𧾷 foot meaning
- 失 to lose sound
- ㇒ falling stroke
- 夫 husband
- 二 two
- 人 person
Running for the bus, the man catches his foot on the curb, starts to lose his balance and begins to stumble.
How it came to be
The foot gives the meaning and the right part gives the sound.
How it is used
- To fall down, and crucially to drop in value. 摔跌 physical, but the headline use is prices: 下跌 (xiàdiē) to fall, 跌幅 (diēfú) the extent of a decline; 股价大跌 (gǔjià dà diē) the stock plunged.
- 跌倒 (diēdǎo) = to trip and fall. Opposite of 涨 (zhǎng, to rise) in market talk: 有涨有跌 ups and downs; 涨价 (zhǎngjià) prices go up.