King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Chinese symbol for “stumbling”

陡然
dǒu rán
suddenly; unexpectedly; abruptly; precipitously

The closest CC-CEDICT match for stumbling is 陡然 (dǒu rán), defined as: suddenly; unexpectedly; abruptly; precipitously; stumbling.

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Characters and stroke order

陡 dǒu
steep, sloping; sudden, abrupt
radical 170 ⾩ · 9 strokes
然 rán
certainly; naturally; suddenly
radical 86 ⽕ · 12 strokes

Related words

Other words that share a character with 陡然.

WordPinyinMeaning
陡峭dǒu qiàoprecipitous
陡坡dǒu pōsteep slope; steep incline
陡崖dǒu yásteep cliff; precipice
陡峻dǒu jùnprecipitous; high and steep
陡壁dǒu bìsteep cliff; precipice
虽然 (雖然)suī ránalthough; even though (often used correlatively with 可是 (kě shì) or 但是 (dàn shì) etc)
然后 (然後)rán hòuthen; after that; afterwards
当然 (當然)dāng ránonly natural; as it should be

See also: Japanese symbol for “stumbling”.

Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Last posts

  1. Choosing Soft Sticks for Kids Games and Safe Play
  2. Best Padded Sticks for Self-Defense Training and Safety
  3. Best Lightweight Escrima Sticks for Speed and Quick Strikes
  4. Mixing Stick Lengths in Crafting and Construction
  5. Do Carved-Grip Escrima Sticks Improve Weapon Retention
  6. Best Short Sticks for Close-Range Drills and Training
  7. Best Escrima Books for Beginners and Clear Technique
  8. Are Aluminum Trainer Knives Safe for Beginners
  9. Best Rubber Training Knives for Kali Practice
  10. Best Eye Protection for Stick Training and Sparring