循序渐进
xún xù jiàn jìn · HSK 7
step by step
🪜👣 循 follow + 序 order + 渐 gradually + 进 advance = advance gradually following the order
Four characters stack into one idea: 循 means follow, 序 means sequence, 渐 means by degrees, 进 means move forward. Together they describe progress made one ordered step at a time, never skipping ahead.
序 — 广 radical (shelter) + 予 (give/I)
Originally depicted the side walls or wings of a building under the 广 (shelter) radical, with 予 serving as the phonetic component. From 'side wall' it extended to mean 'sequence' or 'order,' as walls were arranged in succession. Today it commonly means 'order,' 'sequence,' or 'preface.'
进 — walk radical 辶 + well 井
Originally a semantic-phonetic compound: the walking radical 辶 gives the meaning of movement, while 井 (jǐng, 'well') supplied the sound. The traditional form 進 used 隹 (short-tailed bird) suggesting forward flight; the simplified 进 swapped 隹 for the simpler phonetic 井. The core meaning 'to advance, enter' has stayed stable.