跪 (guì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

跪

guì[gui4]Tone 4

to kneel

HSK 6

Guru Deep Dive

English · to kneel

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (足) is narrower and compressed to make room for the right phonetic component (危), keeping the overall character balanced within an imaginary square grid.

1. Meaning

to kneel

to fall to one's kneesto submit or yield

VerbNeutral#body movement#posture#respect

Sample Usage

他跪在地上向父母道歉。
tā guì zài dì shàng xiàng fù mǔ dào qiàn.
He knelt on the ground to apologize to his parents.
新郎向新娘的父母跪拜。
xīn láng xiàng xīn niáng de fù mǔ guì bài.
The groom kneels and pays respect to the bride's parents.

2. Sound

/[kweɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

跪

guìgui4

`(51)

=guì

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Velar

Sounds like: hard g sound as in 'go'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air (sounds like 'c' in Vietnamese 'cá' or 'k' in English 'skate').

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue raises against the soft palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with 'way' but with an 'oo' onset (oo-ay)

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'way'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: ui is short for uei

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges sharply to the bottom, identical to an emphatic English 'No!' or 'Stop!'.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the final rhyme '-ui' (which is short for -uei) with an '-u' sound alone. Ensure you pronounce the 'e' glide clearly inside.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, authoritative chop downward with your hand, mirroring the falling pitch from the highest register down to the bottom.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

4. Components

Radical 足 · Foot Radical (foot, leg, lower limb)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 足 (Indicates that the action is performed using the feet and legs.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 危 (original sound: guí / wēi)

A person uses their feet (足) in a precarious or dangerous (危) position—meaning they are dropping down to their knees.

足 Left side, signifying foot or leg action
危 Right side, providing the pronunciation clue and a sense of precarious posture

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

5· Phonetic Root: 危 (wēi)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the foot radical (足) indicating lower body posture and (危) providing the phonetic element and semantic undertone of leaning or unstable height coming down.

Semantic Evolution: Originally depicted the physical act of resting on one's knees, which later extended to formal kowtowing rituals, surrender, and deep submission.

In traditional Chinese culture, kneeling was a supreme form of respect reserved for gods, emperors, and parents.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: キ / Kun: ひざまづく

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

궤

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use your **foot (足)** to drop down in a **dangerous/precarious (危)** situation, forcing you to **kneel (guì)** on the floor.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

危

wēidangerousWithout the foot radical on the left, it means danger.

跪

guìto kneelHas the foot radical (足) on the left because knees involve legs and feet.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

危(wēi)

危 lacks the foot radical (足) on the left and means 'danger'.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

古代犯人见官时必须[___]行礼。

Clue: guì

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right-hand component 危 with other complex components, or forgetting to include the foot radical 足 on the left.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 跪 mean, and what is its pronunciation?

Production: How do you write 'to kneel' in Chinese (guì), including its left foot radical?

跪guìto kneel

Speed:

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