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流转 (liú zhuǎn) — to circulate, to pass through a system (of goods, capital, resources); to wander, to drift from place to place (of people)

Definition

Used for things (capital, goods, time) circulating through a system or moment passing — a written, literary feel. For a person drifting, 流浪 or 漂泊 is the natural choice; for everyday strolling, use 逛.

verb
to circulateto pass through a system (of goods, capital, resources)to wanderto drift from place to place (of people)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 流转。
    Zī jīn zài shì chǎng zhōng bú duàn liú zhuǎn.
    Capital continuously circulates in the market.
  • 流转，。
    Shí guāng liú zhuǎn, zhuǎn yǎn yǐ shì qiū tiān.
    Time flows on, and it's already autumn in the blink of an eye.
  • 流转，。
    Tā nián qīng shí xǐ huan sì chù liú zhuǎn, jiàn le bù shǎo shì miàn.
    When he was young, he liked to wander around and saw quite a bit of the world.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

流liúflow
转zhuǎnturn

"流" and "转" both describe moving and turning through a system.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Change & Process

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