a step

surname Bu; a pace; walk; march; stages in a process; situation

a picture of 步 → two feet, one step apart

The character shows two feet (止) placed one above the other, one foot forward and one behind — the ancient form literally depicted the motion of stepping. A single 止 means 'stop' or 'foot'; doubled in this arrangement, it captures the rhythm of walking.

FootSemantic

Words with 步

阔步

kuò bù

to stride forward

逐步

zhú bù

progressively

进一步

jìn yī bù

to go a step further

进步

jìn bù

progress; improvement

进步主义

jìn bù zhǔ yì

progressivism

进步号

jìn bù hào

Progress (name of Russian spaceship)

迈步

mài bù

to take a step; to step forward

邯郸学步

hán dān xué bù

to copy the way they walk in Handan (idiom)

锐步

ruì bù

Reebok (sportswear manufacturer)

长足进步

cháng zú jìn bù

rapid progress

自动步道

zì dòng bù dào

moving walkway

开步

kāi bù

to step forward

More characters with 止