What does つまづい mean?


What's the meaning of つまづい in this context?

> たとえ何があっても  
>  つまづいても迷っても




You're parsing it incorrectly. The second line should be

> つまづいて・も・迷って・も

So `つまづいて` is the 〜て form of `つまづく`, which @rdb pointed out is probably an
older spelling of `つまずく【躓く】`, which means "to trip/stumble".




Let me add a little about the spelling つまづく. It is an alternate (secondary)
spelling of つまずく, and not necessarily an _old_ spelling as stated in other
answers.

This verb was etymologically a compound word made of つめ and つく with a vowel
mutation (つめ→つま) and [rendaku](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendaku) (つく→づく).
In the [historical kana
orthography](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_kana_orthography), it was
written as つまづく, reflecting the fact that the latter part came from つく.

In the [modern kana
orthography](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_kana_usage), most uses of
letter づ were replaced with ず to match the orthography with pronunciation. One
of the exceptions is that づ arising from rendaku has been retained. If you
think of the origin, づ in つまづく indeed arises from rendaku and therefore the
word would have been written as つまづく even in the modern orthography. However,
because it is not obvious from its meaning that this verb is a compound word,
it was decided in the [official
recommendation](http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/hakusho/nc/k19860701001/k19860701001.html)
that the primary spelling of this verb should be つまずく, with a remark that it
can be alternately written as つまづく. The recommendation also lists other
examples of words of this kind.

So, つまづく is not only the spelling in the historical orthography but also a
permitted spelling in the modern orthography, although the primary spelling in
the modern orthography is つまずく.

