Writing Balance Rule: The left component (the movement radical 辶) wraps around the right phonetic component (豕). Ensure the bottom horizontal stroke of the radical extends far enough to support the right side stably.
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate
Final Rhyme
u
Vowel Group: -u vowel group
Sounds like: oo sound as in boot
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oo'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts at a mid pitch and rises straight up to a high pitch, exactly like asking a surprised question in English such as 'What?' or 'Really?'
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, the tone changes to a rising Tone 2 (35), matching standard Mandarin tone sandhi rules.
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Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial 'zh' with the alveolar dental 'z', or mixing up the rising Tone 2 with Tone 4 falling.
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Physical Tone Gesture: Move your hand upward from left to right in a sharp rising diagonal line, mirroring the rising pitch of Tone 2.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left component (the movement radical 辶) wraps around the right phonetic component (豕). Ensure the bottom horizontal stroke of the radical extends far enough to support the right side stably.
4. Components
Radical辶 · Movement Radical (motion, walking, or road)
Semantic Clue (形旁):辶 (Indicates movement, chasing, or going after someone.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):豕 (original sound: shǐ / zhú)
A moving foot or path (辶) chasing after a wild boar (豕).
辶 movement / walking
豕 pig / boar
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
5· Phonetic Root: 豕 (shǐ)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally combined the walking/movement radical with a pig (豕) element representing the sound and the concept of hunting or chasing animals in the wild.
Semantic Evolution: Shifted from the physical act of hunting or chasing wildlife to abstract pursuit, driving away enemies, and eventually sequential ordering (one by one).
In classical texts, it frequently appeared in contexts describing military campaigns or hunting expeditions.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
trục
The entering tone or checked tone corresponds to modern Vietnamese nặng or sắc depending on historical classification, rendered as 'trục'.
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Kanji (Japanese)
On: チク / Kun: お・う
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Hanja (Korean)
축
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You are taking a walk on a path (辶) while trying to chase away a wild pig (豕) that keeps getting into your garden.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
逐
zhúto pursueBase character with movement radical
豚
túnpork / pigUses flesh/moon radical (月) instead of movement
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
家(jiā)
家 has a roof (宀) over a pig (豕) meaning home, whereas 逐 has a path (辶) meaning chase.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我们应该树立远大理想，勇敢地[___]梦想。
Clue: zhú
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the right-hand component 豕 (pig) with similar looking components like 家 or 冢, leading to incorrect handwritten character forms.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 逐, what two core actions does it remind you of?
Production: How do you write 'to pursue' (zhú) using the movement radical and the pig component?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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逐zhúto pursue, to chase away, one by one
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