TongTong
Sign in

安然 (ān rán) — safely and peacefully; calmly; safe and sound

Definition

Literary adverb meaning 'calmly, safely' — emphasizes undisturbed peace, more formal and written than colloquial words like 平静. Often pairs with 入睡, 无恙, 度过 to describe coming through an event unharmed.

adverb
safely and peacefullycalmlysafe and sound

Examples

  • 。
    Tā ān rán wú yàng dì huí lái le.
    He returned safe and sound.
  • 安然。
    Hái zi yǐ jīng ān rán rù shuì.
    The child has fallen asleep peacefully.
  • 安然。
    Wǒ men ān rán dù guò le wēi jī.
    We got through the crisis safely.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

安āncalm
然ránmanner

安 gives calm or safety and 然 adds a manner sense, so it means calmly.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
肰
肰rán然rán
Same sound today

然 is made from 肰, which gives the sound, and 火, which shows fire, matching the old sense 'to burn'.

Open 然 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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