TongTong
Sign in

悬念 (xuán niàn) — (narrative) suspense; concern, worry (about someone's well-being)

Definition

Most often a storytelling term: 'suspense' built into a film, novel, or plot. The 'worry about someone' sense is secondary; contrast with 顾虑, which is purely about personal apprehension.

noun
(narrative) suspenseconcernworry (about someone's well-being)

Examples

  • 悬念，。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng chōng mǎn xuán niàn, ràng rén cāi bú dào jié jú.
    This movie is full of suspense, making it hard to guess the ending.
  • 悬念。
    Tā duì hái zi de xuán niàn yì zhí méi fàng xià.
    His concern for the child never let up.
  • 悬念。
    Zhè bù xuán yí jù de xuán niàn shè jì dé hěn qiǎo miào.
    The suspense in this mystery series is cleverly designed.

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.

悬xuánhang
念niànthought

悬 suggests something left hanging, while 念 is a thought, giving suspense.

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 懸; 悬 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
縣
縣xiàn懸xuán
Same sound today

The traditional form 懸 adds 心, “heart,” to the older form 縣, which gave the sound. The simplified 悬 is a later abbreviation.

Open 悬 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

念 combines 今, an upside-down mouth, with 心, the heart, to listen to one's heart.

Open 念 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract ConceptsEmotions & Feelings

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