跳动
tiào dòng · HSK 7
to bounce
💓 跳 jump + 动 move = a jump-motion: the throb, pulse and bounce of something that keeps moving
跳 — foot 足 + 兆 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The foot radical 足 carries the meaning, since jumping is done with the feet, while 兆 (zhào) supplies the sound. Originally meaning 'to leap' or 'spring up,' it later extended to senses like 'skip over' and 'beat' (as in a pulse).
动 — force 力 + heavy/重 (simplified from 動)
The traditional form 動 combines 重 (heavy) as the phonetic with 力 (force/strength) as the semantic, suggesting the effort needed to move something heavy. The simplified form 动 replaces 重 with 云, keeping 力 to convey action and motion.