<p>1、走路和步行的意思最为接近，可为同义词，只是走路比较口语化。
2、行走的意思不一定就是用足或脚来移动，比如：船行走在海上/火车行走在铁轨上。还有一个名词“走行件/部”，如：转向架是火车的走行件。指直接参与运动并影响运动状况的部分。
3、徒步一般专指运动项目。
4、制作指的是以手工为主，制造指的是用工具或设备。我们不会说：制作了汽车或制造了蛋糕。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-11T10:44:40.053Z
Hi leb, welcome to Chinese Language. Not all users of this site are fluent in Chinese. It would be more helpful if you wrote your answers in English, along with examples in Chinese.
blackgreen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T04:50:31.310Z
2020-06-10T04:50:31.310Z
leb
<p>Almost no differences, you can use them interchangeablely.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>走路 walk + road</p>
  
  <p>行走 moving + walk</p>
  
  <p>步行 step + walk</p>
  
  <p>徒步 only steps</p>
</blockquote>

<p>All these four expressions mean the same. They are synonyms. You can use them interchangeablely.</p>

<hr>

<blockquote>
  <p>I don't like it when several different words have the same meaning</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It does not matter whether you like it or not. There are words with exactly the same meaning. This is how languages work.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>How do you go to school?</p>
  
  <p>A. I walk to school.</p>
  
  <p>B. I go to school on foot.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Anything different?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>你平时怎么上学的？</p>
  
  <p>A. 我走路去上学。</p>
  
  <p>B. 我步行去上学。</p>
  
  <p>C. 我徒步去上学。</p>
  
  <p>D. 我行走去上学。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Anything different?</p>

<hr>

<p>While some people may try to find out some differences, I have to say. Those are only the differences in their local dialects. China is a big country, so the expression may vary from place to place. In some dialects, 走路 may even mean to “go on the road” (by car, ship, metro, bike, etc)</p>

<p>Here are the examples:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.zhihu.com/question/263505147" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.zhihu.com/question/263505147</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T16:48:02.163Z
我行走去上学 is weird
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T16:56:13.467Z
When people reply "There's no difference" , I would always look closer to find some. IMO, There's always some difference between synonyms. No matter how slight a difference is , it is still a difference
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T17:06:09.983Z
@TangHo That's your problem. Actually, most of the questionnaires use this expression. 出行方式： 1. 行走 2. 自行车 3. 公交 4. 地铁
Victor
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T17:10:38.327Z
@TangHo When people say there are differences, I have to say “no, that's just your dialect problem”
Victor
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T18:02:39.390Z
I disagree with the person  who decided to use 行走 instead of 步行 in the questionnaires
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T23:44:09.353Z
"It does not matter whether you like it or not. There are words with exactly the same meaning. This is how languages work." I'm just padding toe word count calm the hell down, you think I was genuinely asking for anyone to change how language works? And I can't speak for Mandarin but in English [there are no exact synonyms](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/465562/exact-synonyms-in-english/477956#:~:text=There%20are%20no%20exact%20synonyms.&text=There%20is%20nothing%20here%20that,.SE%20or%20Philosophy.SE.)
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T00:06:00.803Z
There are no exact synonyms in English or Chinese. However,  a lot of English and Chinese words have overlap meanings. Therefore, in certain context, two words may be interchangeable (that makes them synonyms), but they can't in other context, that's why I insist 'there are always difference between synonyms'
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T00:34:51.440Z
@TangHo when you find they do not work in another context, most of the time it is your dialect that misleads you.
Victor
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T00:43:24.327Z
I though we are talking about Standard Mandarin (普通話). Which should be  universal. Are you saying 製造 and 製作 have no difference in Mandarin, only different in some dialect?
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T16:37:52.140Z
2020-06-09T17:20:40.157Z
2020-06-09T17:20:40.157Z
Victor
<p>走路, 行走, and 步行 all mean 'walk'</p>

<p>走路 emphasizes the 'traveling a <strong>distance</strong> on foot' aspect. e.g. 走路去要十分鐘 (<strong>traveling on foot</strong> need 10 minutes)</p>

<p>行走 emphasizes the '<strong>moving</strong>' aspect. e.g. 御前待衞可以在禁宮行走 (Royal guards could <strong>walk (move) around</strong> within the Forbidden City); 電動車充一次電祇能<strong>行走</strong>五十公里 (Electric vehicles can only <strong>run for (move)</strong> 50 kilometers on one charge)</p>

<p>步行 emphasizes 'the act of <strong>walking (use of legs/ by foot)</strong>' aspect. e.g. 病臥床上，不能步行 (sick on bed, can no longer <strong>walk</strong>)</p>

<ul>
<li><p>If you walk a distance to a destination, you should use 走路 or 步行</p></li>
<li><p>If you are walking (moving around) in an area, you should use 行走</p></li>
<li><p>If you are doing the action of walking (a few steps attempt or a few miles travel) you should use 步行</p></li>
</ul>

<p>More examples:</p>

<p>走路上京 (go to the capital on foot)</p>

<p>行走江湖 (traveling around the country) </p>

<p>步行健身 (walking for fitness)</p>

<p><em>You cannot say 行走上京，走路江湖， 步行江湖， 走路健身，行走健身</em></p>

<p><em>步行上京 (go to the capital by foot) is acceptable, but 上京 implies a long distance travel, it is better to use 走路 in this instance. Meanwhile 步行到街口 is better than 走路到街口</em></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T20:40:07.030Z
So as a native English speaker would it make sense for me to associate 行走 with "to travel", 走路 with "to travel by foot", and 步行 with bipedal movement in general?
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T20:46:55.313Z
I think it should be : Associate  行走 with "movement  (including walking and other means) in area or distance", 走路 with "to travel on foot", and 步行 with "bipedally walking "
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T20:55:17.810Z
so if I understand correctly, 行走 implies a fixed location that you move in/around?
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T20:58:27.113Z
行走 implies you freely move within/around an area or on a path
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T21:00:09.167Z
then perhaps a closer English equivalent for 行走 would be "to traverse", and at this point I'm probably putting too much emphasis on finding exact English equivalents for Chinese words but these things just help me remember
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T21:04:36.947Z
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "to traverse": (intransitive verb)
1 : to move back and forth or from side to side. I would add "freely" to this definition for 行走. So it could be  "to freely traverse"
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T21:08:22.573Z
Yea I looked at several online dictionaries just to be sure, because each dictionary seems to have a different take, and every dictionary put together doesn't necessarily cover all colloquial uses... the Cambridge dictionary defines it as "to move or travel through an area"
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T21:11:32.647Z
御前待衞可以在禁宮行走, 電動車充一次電祇能行走五十公里 and 行走江湖 are good examples for the  Cambridge dictionary definition of "to traverse":
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T21:17:22.360Z
The more we discussed about 行走, the more I convinced those questionnaires were wrong to use 行走
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T16:22:59.440Z
2020-06-10T03:42:54.680Z
2020-06-10T03:42:54.680Z
Tang Ho
<p>Are these words perfectly synonymous, or are there rules to distinguish them? <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=%E8%B5%B0%E8%B7%AF%2C%E8%A1%8C%E8%B5%B0%2C%E6%AD%A5%E8%A1%8C&amp;year_start=1800&amp;year_end=2020&amp;corpus=23&amp;smoothing=3&amp;share=&amp;direct_url=t1%3B%2C%E8%B5%B0%E8%B7%AF%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2C%E8%A1%8C%E8%B5%B0%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2C%E6%AD%A5%E8%A1%8C%3B%2Cc0#t1%3B%2C%E8%B5%B0%E8%B7%AF%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2C%E8%A1%8C%E8%B5%B0%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2C%E6%AD%A5%E8%A1%8C%3B%2Cc0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Google Ngram</a> shows that they're all used with about the same frequency.</p>

<p>I don't like it when several different words have the same meaning because I'm forced to learn each of them if I don't wanna look stupid when someone uses the one I don't know.</p>

<word-choice>
What is the difference between 走路, 行走, and 步行?
# What is the difference between 走路, 行走, and 步行?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-06-09)

Are these words perfectly synonymous, or are there rules to distinguish them? [Google Ngram](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=%E8%B5%B0%E8%B7%AF%2C%E8%A1%8C%E8%B5%B0%2C%E6%AD%A5%E8%A1%8C&year_start=1800&year_end=2020&corpus=23&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2C%E8%B5%B0%E8%B7%AF%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2C%E8%A1%8C%E8%B5%B0%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2C%E6%AD%A5%E8%A1%8C%3B%2Cc0#t1%3B%2C%E8%B5%B0%E8%B7%AF%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2C%E8%A1%8C%E8%B5%B0%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2C%E6%AD%A5%E8%A1%8C%3B%2Cc0) shows that they're all used with about the same frequency.

I don't like it when several different words have the same meaning because I'm forced to learn each of them if I don't wanna look stupid when someone uses the one I don't know.

**Tags:** word-choice


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-06-09. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

走路, 行走, and 步行 all mean 'walk'

走路 emphasizes the 'traveling a **distance** on foot' aspect. e.g. 走路去要十分鐘 (**traveling on foot** need 10 minutes)

行走 emphasizes the '**moving**' aspect. e.g. 御前待衞可以在禁宮行走 (Royal guards could **walk (move) around** within the Forbidden City); 電動車充一次電祇能**行走**五十公里 (Electric vehicles can only **run for (move)** 50 kilometers on one charge)

步行 emphasizes 'the act of **walking (use of legs/ by foot)**' aspect. e.g. 病臥床上，不能步行 (sick on bed, can no longer **walk**)

* If you walk a distance to a destination, you should use 走路 or 步行
* If you are walking (moving around) in an area, you should use 行走
* If you are doing the action of walking (a few steps attempt or a few miles travel) you should use 步行

More examples:

走路上京 (go to the capital on foot)

行走江湖 (traveling around the country)

步行健身 (walking for fitness)

*You cannot say 行走上京，走路江湖， 步行江湖， 走路健身，行走健身*

*步行上京 (go to the capital by foot) is acceptable, but 上京 implies a long distance travel, it is better to use 走路 in this instance. Meanwhile 步行到街口 is better than 走路到街口*

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So as a native English speaker would it make sense for me to associate 行走 with "to travel", 走路 with "to travel by foot", and 步行 with bipedal movement in general?  
> **username_4**: I think it should be : Associate  行走 with "movement  (including walking and other means) in area or distance", 走路 with "to travel on foot", and 步行 with "bipedally walking "  
> **username_0**: so if I understand correctly, 行走 implies a fixed location that you move in/around?  
> **username_4**: 行走 implies you freely move within/around an area or on a path  
> **username_0**: then perhaps a closer English equivalent for 行走 would be "to traverse", and at this point I'm probably putting too much emphasis on finding exact English equivalents for Chinese words but these things just help me remember  
> **username_4**: Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "to traverse": (intransitive verb) 1 : to move back and forth or from side to side. I would add "freely" to this definition for 行走. So it could be  "to freely traverse"  
> **username_0**: Yea I looked at several online dictionaries just to be sure, because each dictionary seems to have a different take, and every dictionary put together doesn't necessarily cover all colloquial uses... the Cambridge dictionary defines it as "to move or travel through an area"  
> **username_4**: 御前待衞可以在禁宮行走, 電動車充一次電祇能行走五十公里 and 行走江湖 are good examples for the  Cambridge dictionary definition of "to traverse":  
> **username_4**: The more we discussed about 行走, the more I convinced those questionnaires were wrong to use 行走  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-06-10. Score: 1

1、走路和步行的意思最为接近，可为同义词，只是走路比较口语化。
2、行走的意思不一定就是用足或脚来移动，比如：船行走在海上/火车行走在铁轨上。还有一个名词“走行件/部”，如：转向架是火车的走行件。指直接参与运动并影响运动状况的部分。
3、徒步一般专指运动项目。
4、制作指的是以手工为主，制造指的是用工具或设备。我们不会说：制作了汽车或制造了蛋糕。

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Hi leb, welcome to Chinese Language. Not all users of this site are fluent in Chinese. It would be more helpful if you wrote your answers in English, along with examples in Chinese.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-06-09. Score: -1

Almost no differences, you can use them interchangeablely.

> 走路 walk + road
>
> 行走 moving + walk
>
> 步行 step + walk
>
> 徒步 only steps

All these four expressions mean the same. They are synonyms. You can use them interchangeablely.

---

> I don't like it when several different words have the same meaning

It does not matter whether you like it or not. There are words with exactly the same meaning. This is how languages work.

> How do you go to school?
>
> A. I walk to school.
>
> B. I go to school on foot.

Anything different?

> 你平时怎么上学的？
>
> A. 我走路去上学。
>
> B. 我步行去上学。
>
> C. 我徒步去上学。
>
> D. 我行走去上学。

Anything different?

---

While some people may try to find out some differences, I have to say. Those are only the differences in their local dialects. China is a big country, so the expression may vary from place to place. In some dialects, 走路 may even mean to “go on the road” (by car, ship, metro, bike, etc)

Here are the examples:

<https://www.zhihu.com/question/263505147>

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: 我行走去上学 is weird  
> **username_4**: When people reply "There's no difference" , I would always look closer to find some. IMO, There's always some difference between synonyms. No matter how slight a difference is , it is still a difference  
> **username_3**: @username_4 That's your problem. Actually, most of the questionnaires use this expression. 出行方式： 1. 行走 2. 自行车 3. 公交 4. 地铁  
> **username_3**: @username_4 When people say there are differences, I have to say “no, that's just your dialect problem”  
> **username_4**: I disagree with the person  who decided to use 行走 instead of 步行 in the questionnaires  
> **username_0**: "It does not matter whether you like it or not. There are words with exactly the same meaning. This is how languages work." I'm just padding toe word count calm the hell down, you think I was genuinely asking for anyone to change how language works? And I can't speak for Mandarin but in English [there are no exact synonyms](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/465562/exact-synonyms-in-english/477956#:~:text=There%20are%20no%20exact%20synonyms.&text=There%20is%20nothing%20here%20that,.SE%20or%20Philosophy.SE.)  
> **username_4**: There are no exact synonyms in English or Chinese. However,  a lot of English and Chinese words have overlap meanings. Therefore, in certain context, two words may be interchangeable (that makes them synonyms), but they can't in other context, that's why I insist 'there are always difference between synonyms'  
> **username_3**: @username_4 when you find they do not work in another context, most of the time it is your dialect that misleads you.  
> **username_4**: I though we are talking about Standard Mandarin (普通話). Which should be  universal. Are you saying 製造 and 製作 have no difference in Mandarin, only different in some dialect?  

---

