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传统 (chuán tǒng) — (noun) tradition; convention; (adjective) traditional; conventional

Definition

传统 covers both the thing itself — a tradition handed down over time — and the adjective sense 'traditional'. It's broader than 习俗 (local customs) and more cultural than 常规 (routine procedure).

noun
traditionconvention
adjective
traditionalconventional
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 传统。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi bǎo hù yōu xiù de chuán tǒng.
    We should protect the excellent traditions.
  • 传统。
    Chūn jié shì zuì zhòng yào de chuán tǒng jié rì.
    The Spring Festival is the most important traditional holiday.
  • 传统。
    Zhè shì yì zhǒng chuán tǒng de zuò fǎ.
    This is a traditional way of doing things.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

传chuánpassed down
统tǒngsystem or lineage

The first part means passed down, and the second means system or lineage, so the whole names customs or beliefs handed down through time.

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 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
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.

Open 传 →

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 統; 统 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
充
充chōng統tǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 統 uses 糸 as a meaning part and 充 as a sound part; the simplified 统 is a later shorthand, so this story is about 統, not about 统's parts.

Open 统 →
Appears in
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