ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

foot / sufficient

7 strokes · 足 itself is the radical — a kneecap over a foot · HSK 2

Where 足 comes from

足 stacks a rounded kneecap over 止 (a footprint — the ancient foot picture). Leg from knee down: the foot. How it also came to mean 'enough' is an old borrowing — perhaps a full measure 'stands firm'.

足 in Chinese culture

足 kicks and satisfies: 足球 (football/soccer — the nation's beloved heartbreak), 满足 (satisfied — full-enough), 不足 (insufficient). The classical 知足 ('knowing what is enough') is contentment philosophy straight from Laozi: 知足者常乐 — those who know enough are always happy. From World Cup dreams to Daoist calm, 足 covers the distance.

Example

足球 zúqiú — football / soccer

他喜欢踢足球。
Tā xǐhuan tī zúqiú.
He likes playing football.

How to remember it

Knee over footprint — the FOOT; a firm stance is ENOUGH.

知足者常乐 'the contented are always happy' — Laozi's happiness formula, hiding inside the word for soccer.

Same sound, different tones

2nd zú
foot / enough
3rd zǔ
group
4th zù
ancestor (zǔ)

Words unlocked by 足

足球 zúqiú
football
满足 mǎnzú
satisfied
知足 zhīzú
content with what one has
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