Chinese word

蹲

Pronunciation

Pinyindūn

Meaning

  • verbsquat

Example

他在地上蹲着系鞋带。tā zài dì shàng dūn zhe jì xié dài

He is squatting on the ground and tying his shoelaces.

Illustration for 蹲 (squat)

More examples

医生让病人先蹲下再检查膝盖。yī shēng ràng bìng rén xiān dūn xià zài jiǎn chá xī gài

The doctor told the patient to squat down first and then examined the knee.

Core concept

The body shifts from standing to a low, knee-bent position, with the same image covering both the downward movement and the posture that follows.

Common phrases

  • 蹲下dūn xià

    squat down

  • 蹲着休息dūn zhe xiū xī

    squat and rest

  • 蹲着系鞋带dūn zhe jì xié dài

    squat and tie one's shoelaces

Similar words

坐zuò: Bring the body down until the buttocks rest on a surface.
站zhàn: Keep the body raised upright on both feet.
躺tǎng: Lie with the body extended along a bed, floor, or other surface.
跪guì: Kneel with the body lowered and the knees touching the ground.

Definition in Chinese

屈膝使身体重心降低以贴近地面，既可指一次的下蹲动作，也可指以蹲姿停留或等待的状态。qū xī shǐ shēn tǐ zhòng xīn jiàng dī yǐ tiē jìn dì miàn jì kě zhǐ yí cì de xià dūn dòng zuò yě kě zhǐ yǐ dūn zī tíng liú huò děng dài de zhuàng tài

Word origin

蹲 (dūn, "squat") is a phonetic compound: 足 (zú, "foot") points to movement by the legs, while 尊 (zūn, "honor") supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • 蹲着 (dūnzhe, "remain squatting") uses 着 (zhe, "in a continuing state") to show that the low posture lasts, rather than marking only the movement down.

Other meanings

  • bend downverb
  • crouchverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 蹲伏dūn fúcrouchverb
  • 蹲守dūn shǒustake outverb

Word lists with this word