突然 (tū rán) — sudden, abrupt, unexpected | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Sudden and unexpected, focusing on the speed of an event (a sudden decision, sudden departure). 意外 is more about an accident or something surprising that goes wrong.

adjective

suddenabruptunexpected

Examples

突然。
Zhè ge jué dìng hěn tū rán.
This decision is very sudden.
突然。
Yí gè tū rán de wèn tí ràng tā bù zhī dào zěn me bàn.
A sudden problem made him not know what to do.
突然。
Dà jiā dōu bù zhī dào tā tū rán lí kāi de yuán yīn.
No one knows the reason for his sudden departure.

Origin

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

突tūsudden

然ránlike that

突 conveys suddenness, and 然 adds a like-that sense, describing an abrupt change.

Characters in this word

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

穴犬突

穴穴xuécave; den
犬犬quǎndog

突 shows 犬 (dog) under 穴 (cave; den), as a dog suddenly coming out of a den.

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

火火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

肰

肰rán然rán

Same sound today

然 is made from 肰, which gives the sound, and 火, which shows fire, matching the old sense 'to burn'.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 3 HSK 2.0 Level 3 1000 Most Frequent Chinese Words Abstract Concepts 2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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