徒步
tú bù · HSK 7
to be on foot
🚶 徒 (bare, on foot) + 步 (step) = travel on foot, hike
步 is the everyday word for step or walking. 徒 adds the sense of doing it bare or by oneself, with no vehicle, so 徒步 is going somewhere on foot. The bù sound matches the 步 in 跑步 (running).
步 — two feet: 止 (foot) on top + 止 inverted below
Originally a pictograph showing two footprints, one above the other, representing the act of walking step by step. The top 止 is a left foot and the bottom is a right foot, capturing alternating strides. The meaning extended from 'step' to 'pace,' 'stage,' or 'walk.'