跑步
to run; to jog
pǎobù
What does 跑步 mean?
跑步 (pǎobù) means 'to run' or 'to jog' — specifically as a form of exercise or sport, the way you'd say 'I go for a run' in English. It's a verb-object compound: 跑 (pǎo) 'to run' + 步 (bù) 'step,' literally 'run steps.' Use 跑步 when running is the activity itself: 我每天跑步 ('I run every day'), 他喜欢跑步 ('he likes jogging'). When you mean 'run TO somewhere' (with a destination), use just 跑: 他跑回家 ('he ran home').
Because 跑步 is verb + object, you can split it: 跑了一个小时的步 ('ran for an hour'). Common pairings: 去跑步 ('go for a run'), 早上跑步 ('morning run'), 跑步机 (pǎobù jī, 'treadmill'). For the act of running fast/sprinting in a non-exercise sense, use 跑
Character breakdown
to run (足 'foot' radical on the left + 包 phonetic)
step; pace
Memory hook: 跑 has the 足 (foot) radical on the left — running uses your feet. 步 = 'step.' Together: 'run steps' = jog.
Example sentences
我每天早上跑步。
Wǒ měi tiān zǎoshang pǎobù.
I run every morning.
spoken
他喜欢跑步。
Tā xǐhuan pǎobù.
He likes running.
spoken
我们一起去跑步吧。
Wǒmen yìqǐ qù pǎobù ba.
Let's go running together.
spoken
跑步对身体很好。
Pǎobù duì shēntǐ hěn hǎo.
Running is very good for the body.
neutral
今天太忙了，我没有时间跑步。
Jīntiān tài máng le, wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān pǎobù.
I'm too busy today; I don't have time to run.
spoken
Common phrases with 跑步
Synonyms
跑 alone means 'to run' in any context — chasing, fleeing, running to catch a bus. Use 跑 when there's a direction/destination (跑回家 'run home') or a reason. 跑步 specifically means running as exercise.
慢跑 ('slow run') is specifically 'jogging' — a slower, sustained pace. 跑步 covers both jogging and faster running as a general activity.
Don't confuse 跑步 with
跑 is the verb 'to run' on its own — used with directions or objects (跑回家 'run home'). 跑步 specifically describes running as a sport/exercise activity. They overlap but aren't always interchangeable.
走步 isn't standard — 'to walk' is just 走 or 走路. 跑步 follows the verb-object pattern but 走步 doesn't. Don't generalize the pattern.
散步 means 'to take a walk / stroll' — the leisure-walking equivalent of 跑步. Same -步
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