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顺势 (shùn shì) — taking advantage of the situation; by following the natural course; conveniently, in passing (as a side effect of an existing action)

Definition

顺势 means 'going with the flow of a situation' — broader than 趁机 ('seizing a fleeting chance'); the 顺便 family (顺便, 顺手, 顺路) only means doing something extra while you're already at it.

adverb
taking advantage of the situationby following the natural courseconvenientlyin passing (as a side effect of an existing action)

Examples

  • 顺势。
    Tā shùn shì bǎ mén guān shàng le.
    He took the opportunity (while passing) to close the door.
  • 顺势。
    Nǐ shùn shì bāng wǒ wèn wèn xiǎo wáng shén me shí hou huí lái.
    Since you're asking, just ask Xiao Wang when he'll come back.
  • 顺势。
    Wǒ men shùn shì tǎo lùn yí xià zhè ge fāng àn.
    We'll discuss this plan while we're at it (taking advantage of the current meeting).

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

顺shùnfollow
势shìsituation

顺 follow and 势 situation give the sense of acting along the existing trend.

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 順; 顺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
川
川chuān順shùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 順 pairs 川 (river), which gives the sound, with 頁 (head); the picture is a head in a river, following the current. The simplified 顺 is a shorthand.

Open 顺 →

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 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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