Definition
纯 (chún) as an adjective means 'pure, unadulterated' — it describes something unmixed or genuine (e.g., pure water, pure accent). 纯粹 (chúncuì) is similar but more formal and often used adverbially ('purely, completely'); 单纯 (dānchún) focuses on simplicity or naivety, not material purity. As an adverb, 纯 appears in set phrases like 纯属 (purely is).
adjective
puregenuineunadulterated
adverb
purelycompletely (used before verbs in set expressions like 纯属, 纯是)
Easily confused
- 吨dūnlook-alike(classifier) ton (metric ton, 1000 kg)
- 蠢chǔnsound-alikestupid, foolish, dull, clumsy
- 顿dùnlook-alike(classifier) for meals
- 炖dùnlook-aliketo stew
Examples
- 纯，。Zhè píng kuàngquánshuǐ hěn chún, méiyǒu rènhé tiānjiā.This bottle of mineral water is pure, with no additives.
- 纯，。Tā de pǔtōnghuà bù chún, yì tīng jiù zhīdào shì nánfāng rén.His Mandarin isn't pure — you can tell he's from the south as soon as he speaks.
- ，。Zhè jiàn shì chún shǔ wùhuì, nǐ bié fàng zài xīn shang.This matter is purely a misunderstanding; don't take it to heart.
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