迈进
màijìn · HSK 7
stride forward
🚶➡️ 迈 stride + 进 advance = step boldly forward; 迈 sounds like the English my-stride
迈 (mài) means to take a big step; 进 (jìn) means to advance or enter. Together they mean to forge ahead with large strides. The 辶 walking radical on both halves doubles down on forward motion.
迈 — walk radical 辶 + 万 (wàn)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 radical signals motion or walking, while 万 supplies the sound (wàn → mài). The character originally meant to stride or take a long step, and from there extended to 'go forward,' 'advance in age,' and the modern sense of surpassing or exceeding.
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.