(tū rán) - suddenly, all of a sudden; sudden in Mandarin
tūránTraditional: 突然
Translation
suddenly, all of a sudden; sudden
Word origin
A compound of 突 (tū) 'sudden, to dash out' and 然 (rán) 'so, thus'. 突 shows 犬 (a dog) under 穴 (a hole or den), picturing a dog bursting out suddenly; 然 once meant 'to burn' with 火 (fire) beneath. Together they mean 'suddenly'.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 突 (tū, sudden: 穴 cave + 犬 dog) + 然 (rán, thus: 火 fire)
Stroke order
突
然
Examples
。
He suddenly disappeared.
。
The weather suddenly turned cold.
。
He suddenly stood up and walked out.
雨。
The sky suddenly started to rain.
。
He suddenly stood up.
突然 (tū rán) means suddenly or all of a sudden. 突 suggests a sudden thrust or break through and 然 means in a certain state. Together they describe something happening abruptly without warning. It functions as both an adverb (突然发生, happen suddenly) and an adjective (突然的变化, a sudden change). Similar expressions include 忽然 (hū rán), which is slightly more literary, and 一下子 (yī xià zi), which is more colloquial.
Used in
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 13.