旋转 (xuán zhuǎn) — to rotate, to spin, to revolve

Definition

A vivid verb for 'to spin/revolve' — emphasizes continuous, often fast or graceful rotation (wheels, gears, the body). 转 is the everyday neutral 'turn/rotate'; 旋转 sounds more descriptive and slightly more formal.

verb
to rotateto spinto revolve

Examples

  • 旋转。
    Zhè ge mó tiān lún zài màn màn dì xuán zhuǎn.
    This Ferris wheel is slowly rotating.
  • 旋转。
    Jī qì nèi bù de chǐ lún zài kuài sù xuán zhuǎn.
    The gears inside the machine are spinning rapidly.
  • 旋转，。
    Tā xuán zhuǎn le yí xià shēn zi, chà diǎn shuāi dǎo.
    He spun around once and almost fell.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

旋xuánrotate; spin
转zhuǎnturn; rotate

旋 and 转 both involve turning or spinning, so together they express rotation.

Characters in this word

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

  • 㫃㫃㫃flag
  • 止止zhǐfoot
  • 〇〇língcircle

旋 combines 㫃 (a flag), 止 (a foot), and 〇 (a circle), and 〇 also gave the sound.

Open 旋 →

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 轉; 转 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūcarriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān轉zhuǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 轉 combines 車, a carriage, with 專 as a sound part; the simplified 转 is a later shorthand.

Open 转 →
Appears in
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