顺带 (shùn dài) — (adv.) in passing; while doing something else; conveniently

Definition

顺带 (shùn dài) means doing something extra 'in passing, while you're at it' — a small favor or side action piggybacked on a main task. Colloquial and common in speech; not a formal adverb.

adverb
(adv.) in passingwhile doing something elseconveniently

Examples

  • ，顺带。
    Wǒ qù chāo shì, shùn dài bāng nǐ mǎi píng shuǐ.
    I'm going to the supermarket, and I'll buy a bottle of water for you in passing.
  • 顺带。
    Tā chū chāi shí shùn dài bài fǎng le lǎo péng you.
    He visited an old friend in passing while on a business trip.
  • 顺带。
    Nǐ huí jiā de shí hou shùn dài bǎ lā jī dài xià qù ba.
    When you go home, take the trash down in passing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

顺shùnalong
带dàitake

顺 suggests along the way, and 带 means to take, so the sense is taking something in passing.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 帶; 带 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 帶 was drawn as a woven belt; the simplified 带 is a later shorthand.

Open 带 →

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