TongTong
Sign in

变迁 (biàn qiān) — (verb) to undergo changes over time; to shift (of society, era, culture, etc.)

Definition

变迁 highlights large-scale, era-spanning change in society, culture, or customs — broader in scope than 变动 (small shifts in plans/data) and more historical than 变换 (switching form or method).

verb
to undergo changes over timeto shift (of society, era, culture, etc.)

Examples

  • ，变迁。
    Suí zhe shí jiān tuī yí, shè huì jié gòu zài bú duàn biàn qiān.
    As time goes by, the social structure is constantly changing.
  • 变迁，。
    Zhè ge shì jiè yì zhí zài biàn qiān, wǒ men yě yào shì yìng.
    This world is always changing; we need to adapt as well.
  • 变迁。
    Zhè ge dì qū de fēng sú yǐ jīng biàn qiān le hěn duō.
    The customs of this region have changed a lot.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

变biànchange
迁qiānshift

The parts mean change and shift, so together they describe gradual movement over time.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 變; 变 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
䜌
䜌䜌變biàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 變 uses 䜌 as a sound part and 攴 as a meaning part.

Open 变 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 迁 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Change & ProcessHistory

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.