Definition
匍匐 is a formal, literary verb for moving on hands and knees or with the belly close to the ground — the kind of crawling soldiers do under barbed wire or a snake's slither. It's more specific and elevated than the everyday verb 爬 (which covers any crawling, climbing, or even 'creepy' insect movement). In botany it also describes prostrate or creeping growth (匍匐茎, a runner or stolon). You'll see it in military, zoological, or written descriptions rather than casual speech.
v
to crawl on the ground (on hands and knees or prostrate)to creep
Examples
- 匍匐。Tā zài dìmiàn shàng pú fú qiánjìn.He crawled forward on the ground.
- 匍匐。Zhànshìmen pú fú chuānguò cǎodì.The soldiers crawled across the grassland.
- 匍匐。Zhè zhǒng zhíwù de pú fú jīng shēngzhǎng hěn kuài.This plant's creeping stems grow very fast.
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