HanziGuru.迈 · mài
迈
mài[mai4]Tone 4

to take a step

HSK 7
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邁
Guru Deep Dive

English · to take a step

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Cached lesson
雙生字Twin Character Traps (雙生字)
View in Twin Characters
  • Often confused with 辽 (liáo) — 迈 contains 万 where 辽 contains 力 — 万 has one extra horizontal stroke at the top.
    辽 vs 迈Drill this pair
11. Meaning

to take a step, to stride

to walkto pass by (literary)
VerbNeutral#movement#action#walking
Logic Map — how this character is really built
  • 辶the Winding Roadenclosing
  • 万the Countless Multitudeenclosed

Travelers journey forward along the Winding Road （辶） while the Countless Multitude （万） provide the sound cue mài for every step. Moving ahead with unstoppable momentum, this character captures the true essence of stride.

Sound part: 万 (mò) → cues the reading mài.
Sample Usage
  • 迈步前进
    mài bù qián jìn
    to take a step forward
  • 迈开大步
    mài kāi dà bù
    to stride forward with large steps
22. Sound
/[maɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
迈
màimai4
++
`(51)
=mài
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
mai
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
m
Type: Bilabial Nasal
Sounds like: m sound as in 'man'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together gently and released while voicing through the nose.
Final Rhyme
ai
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -ai rhymes with 'my'
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'm-' (m) with final '-ai' (eye).
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 abruptly like an emphatic 'No!' in English.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the falling Tone 4 with Tone 3, or confusing the vowel ending with -ao.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp karate chop downwards, mirroring the falling pitch from high to low.
33. Writing7 strokes · animate & practice
44. Components

Radical 辶 · Walk Radical (movement, walking, motion)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 辶 (indicates movement or traveling by foot)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 万 (original sound: wan/mai phonetic influence)

A person walks (辶) with the energy of ten thousand (万) steps combined.

  • 辶movement/walking
  • 万ten thousand / phonetic element
55. HistoryCombined from the walk radical (辶) representing feet in motion and a phonetic...
66. SinosphereKanji (Japanese) マイ
77. Memory
88. Mastery我们要勇敢地[___]出第一步。
🎬 Videos12 clips · real-world usage