迅 (xùn) — fast; quick (bound form, used in compound words)
Definition
迅 (xùn) is a bound morpheme meaning 'swift/rapid' — it never stands alone and only appears in compounds like 迅速, 迅猛, 迅捷. It is more literary than 快, which is the everyday adjective.
bound form
fastquick (bound form, used in compound words)
Easily confused
- 逊xùnsound-alike(bound form) to abdicate (used in 逊位)
- 讯xùnsound-alike(bound form) news, message, dispatch
- 驯xùnsound-aliketo tame (an animal or one's temper)
- 训xùnsound-aliketo train, to drill (skills, often physically)
- 殉xùnsound-alike(bound form) to die for a cause, such as duty or love
- 汛xùnsound-alikeseasonal flood; high water (used in compounds)
Examples
- 。Tā de fǎn yìng fēi cháng xùn sù.His reaction was very rapid.
- ，。Hóng shuǐ lái shì xùn měng, cūn mín jǐn jí zhuǎn yí.The flood came swiftly and fiercely, and the villagers evacuated urgently.
- ，。Wǎng luò xùn jié, xìn xī shùn jiān chuán biàn quán qiú.The internet is fast and agile; information spreads across the globe in an instant.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
卂
卂xùn迅xùn
Same sound today
迅 pairs 辶, written in full as 辵, with 卂, which gives the sound.
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