HanziGuru.蹦 · bèng
蹦
bèng[beng4]Tone 4

to jump; to bounce; to hop

HSK 7
Guru Deep Dive

English · to jump; to bounce; to hop

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:18
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (足 foot radical) must be compressed vertically to fit gracefully alongside the complex right phonetic side (崩). Keep the horizontal spacing tight.
1. Meaning

to jump, bounce, or hop

to skip aroundto twitch or throb
VerbColloquial#movement#physical action#body motion
Sample Usage
  • 孩子们在院子里蹦蹦跳跳。
    háizimen zài yuànzi lǐ bèngbèngtiàotiào.
    The children are jumping and skipping around in the courtyard.
  • 气得他直蹦。
    qì de tā zhí bèng.
    He was so angry he was jumping up and down.
2. Sound
/[pɤŋ⁵¹]/Tone: 51
蹦
bèngbeng4
++
`(51)
=bèng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
beng
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
b
Type: Unaspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: b sound as in 'boy'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. A tissue in front of lips should stay still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips together, releasing air gently without an excessive burst.
Final Rhyme
eng
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -eng rhymes with 'lung' or 'rung' with an e- vowel quality
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uhng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, identical to a sharp command or an emphatic 'No!' in English.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 4 syllable, it changes to a high rising contour (35) or a half-falling tone depending on the speech speed.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing it with Tone 1 (bēng) or Tone 2 (béng). Remember that Tone 4 is a sudden drop in pitch, like shouting 'Stop!' in command.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful karate chop downwards from head height to chest level, matching the abrupt drop of Tone 4.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 18 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (足 foot radical) must be compressed vertically to fit gracefully alongside the complex right phonetic side (崩). Keep the horizontal spacing tight.

4. Components

Radical 足 · Foot radical (foot, leg, walking or movement)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 足 (Indicates that the action is performed using the feet (jumping/hopping).)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 崩 (original sound: bēng)

The foot radical (足) on the left teams up with the sound component 'collapse/burst' (崩) on the right to show feet bursting upward into the air—jumping!

  • 足 Foot/Leg (Semantic clue for physical motion)
  • 崩 Collapse/Burst (Phonetic clue for bèng pronunciation)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: A later compound character formed by combining the foot radical (足) to denote physical leg action with the phonetic element (崩), capturing the energetic bursting motion of jumping.

Semantic Evolution: Originally signified sudden upward leg movement or bounding, which evolved into modern uses like hopping, bouncing, and colloquial twitching.

  • The addition of the foot radical makes the meaning transparent across historical texts.
6. Sinosphere
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a person with big FEET (足) who suddenly BURSTS (崩) upward off the trampoline like a rocket, BUMPING their head on the ceiling because they BUMPED and BUMPED (bèng) too high!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
崩
bēngto collapsePhonetic Core (声旁)
嘣
bēng(onom.) thump; boom+ 口 (mouth)
繃
+ 糹 (thread)
镚
bèngsmall coin; dime+ 钅 (metal)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
崩(bēng)
崩 uses the mountain radical (山) meaning collapse; 蹦 uses the foot radical (足) meaning jump.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
听到这个好消息，高兴得直[___]跳。
Clue: bèng
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone with Tone 1 (bēng - collapse) or confusing the foot radical on the left with the mountain radical.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 蹦, what action does the foot radical tell you is happening?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to jump' (bèng) combining foot and collapse?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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蹦bèngto jump; to bounce; to hop
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