骤 (zhòu) — suddenly, abruptly (formal/literary); incrementally (formal, literary)
Definition
Literary/formal adverb meaning 'suddenly' — used in writing rather than speech, and almost always paired with a verb (e.g. 骤变, 骤降).
adverb
suddenlyabruptly (formal/literary)incrementally (formal, literary)
Easily confused
- 聚jùlook-aliketo gather, to get together; to assemble
- 咒zhòusound-alikeincantation (a set of words believed to have magical power)
- 皱zhòusound-alike(verb) to wrinkle, to crease
- 昼zhòusound-alikedaytime, daylight (literary/formal)
- 宙zhòusound-alike(bound form) time, the temporal dimension of the universe (only in compounds, chiefly 宇宙)
Examples
- ，。Tiān qì zhòu biàn, dà jiā dōu méi xiǎng dào.The weather suddenly changed; nobody expected it.
- ，。Qì wēn zhòu jiàng, chū mén yào duō chuān yī fu.The temperature suddenly dropped, so you should wear more clothes when going out.
- ，。Gǔ jià zhòu rán xià diē, tóu zī zhě shí fēn jǐn zhāng.Stock prices suddenly fell, and investors were very nervous.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 驟; 骤 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
聚
聚jù驟zhòu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 驟 uses 馬 to show the idea of a horse and 聚 for its sound; the simplified 骤 is a later shorthand.
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