贸然 (mào rán) — rashly; hastily | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

贸然 means 'rashly' — acting without enough thought, and it sounds more formal/written than spoken. It usually pairs with verbs like 行动, 决定, or 答应 to stress that the action was hasty and unwise.

adverb

rashlyhastily

Examples

贸然，。
Tā mào rán dā ying le nà ge tiáo jiàn, hòu lái hòu huǐ le.
He agreed to that condition rashly and later regretted it.
，贸然。
Zuò jué dìng zhī qián yào zǐ xì kǎo lǜ, bú yào mào rán xíng dòng.
Before making a decision, think carefully and don't act rashly.
贸然，。
Tā mào rán fā biǎo le zì jǐ de kàn fǎ, jié guǒ yǐn qǐ le zhēng yì.
He rashly expressed his opinion, which caused controversy.

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.

贸 supplies the sense of rashness, and 然 gives the manner, yielding rashly.

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 貿; 贸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèicowrie

Sound part声符shēngfú

卯

卯mǎo貿mào

Same sound today

The traditional form 貿, not the simplified 贸, pairs 卯, giving its sound, with 貝, a cowrie.

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'.

Appears in

Abstract Concepts

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