TongTong
Sign in

流通 (liú tōng) — (of air, water, money) to circulate; (of goods, information) to circulate, to distribute

Definition

Means goods, money, or information moving through a system (economic/exchange sense). More concrete and transactional than 流传 (spread over time) and narrower than 流动 (physical flow of liquids, people, gases).

verb
(of air, water, money) to circulate(of goods, information) to circulateto distribute

Examples

  • 流通。
    Dǎ kāi chuāng hu ràng xīn xiān kōng qì liú tōng qǐ lái.
    Open the window to let fresh air circulate.
  • 流通。
    Yāng háng fù zé liú tōng huò bì yǐ bǎo chí jīng jì wěn dìng.
    The central bank is responsible for circulating currency to keep the economy stable.
  • 流通。
    Hù lián wǎng ràng xìn xī zài quán qiú gèng kuài dì liú tōng.
    The internet allows information to circulate more quickly around the world.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

流liúflow
通tōngpass through

The 流 (flow) and 通 (pass through) senses combine to mean moving freely through.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Economy & Trade

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.