传 (chuán) — to pass on; to transmit; to transfer; to spread; to circulate; to infect; to conduct (electricity)
Definition
传 (chuán) is a broad 'to pass on / transmit' verb — physical things, information, or disease. 转告 is only for spoken messages; 传达 is more formal for official information; 传染 is specifically for disease.
verb
to pass onto transmitto transferto spreadto circulateto infectto conduct (electricity)
Examples
- 传。Qǐng bǎ zhè fèn zī liào chuán gěi jīng lǐ.Please pass this document to the manager.
- 。Zhè ge hǎo xiāo xi hěn kuài jiù zài xué xiào lǐ chuán kāi le.This good news quickly spread around the school.
- 传。Bìng dú néng tōng guò kōng qì chuán gěi jiàn kāng de rén.The virus can be transmitted to healthy people through the air.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.
Appears in
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