步入
bùrù · HSK 7
to step into; to enter
🚶🚪 步 (step) + 入 (enter) = step into, walk into
Each character does exactly what it says: 步 means step or walk, 入 means to enter. Together they form a formal way to say walk into or enter, like stepping through a doorway into a new place.
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.'
入 — single pictograph, two slanting strokes
入 is a pictograph showing an arrowhead or pointed entrance, with two strokes converging downward to suggest something going inward. The original sense was 'to enter,' and it still carries that meaning today. It contrasts visually with 人 (person), where the strokes cross differently at the top.