传 meaning and stroke order
To pass on; to spread; to transmit
How to write 传, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 传
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to pass on
- to spread
- to transmit
- to infect
- to transfer
- to circulate
- biography
- historical narrative
- commentaries
- relay station
How 传 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. People.
亻 gives the meaning and 专 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 传
传 is built from 亻 (person) and 专 (zhuān), which hints at the sound. Picture one person passing something along to the next person, like a message handed down a line of people.
传 (chuán) means to pass something on, whether news, a ball, a tradition, or a disease. It appears in many common words like 传统 (chuántǒng, tradition) and 传说 (chuánshuō, legend). Example: 请把球传给我。(Qǐng bǎ qiú chuán gěi wǒ.) Please pass the ball to me.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 传 with 转 (zhuǎn, to turn). Both have 专 on the right, but 传 has 亻 (person) and 转 has 车 (vehicle). Also watch the right side 专. It has no dot at the top and is easy to miswrite.
Common words with 传
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 传说 | chuánshuō | legend; folk tale; to repeat from mouth to mouth; they say that... | HSK 3 |
| 宣传 | xuānchuán | to disseminate; to give publicity to | HSK 3 |
| 传播 | chuánbō | to disseminate; to propagate; to spread | HSK 3 |
| 传来 | chuánlái | (of a sound) to come through; to be heard | HSK 3 |
| 传统 | chuántǒng | tradition; traditional | HSK 4 |
| 遗传 | yíchuán | heredity; to inherit (a trait) | HSK 4 |
| 流传 | liúchuán | to spread; to circulate; to hand down | HSK 4 |
| 传达 | chuándá | to pass on; to convey | HSK 5 |
| 传递 | chuándì | to transmit; to pass on to sb else; (math.) transitive | HSK 5 |
| 传真 | chuánzhēn | to fax; a fax | HSK 5 |
| 传言 | chuányán | rumor; hearsay | HSK 6 |
| 传输 | chuánshū | to transmit; transmission | HSK 6 |
| 传出 | chuánchū | to transmit outwards; to disseminate | HSK 6 |
| 传媒 | chuánméi | the media; mass media; (epidemiology) medium or route of transmission (of a disease) | HSK 6 |
传 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 传
How many strokes are in 传?
传 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 传 mean?
传 (chuán) means to pass on; to spread; to transmit. A common word with it is 传说 (chuánshuō), meaning "legend; folk tale; to repeat from mouth to mouth; they say that...".
How do you pronounce 传?
传 is pronounced chuán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 传?
The radical of 传 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 传 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 传?
The traditional form of 传 is 傳. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 传 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 传 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 传 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
When is 传 read zhuàn instead of chuán?
It is read zhuàn when it means a biography or a historical narrative, as in 自传 (zìzhuàn, autobiography). In almost all verb uses it is chuán.
Can 传 be used for spreading illness?
Yes. 传 can mean to infect, as in 传染 (chuánrǎn, to infect or be contagious). For example, 感冒会传给别人 means a cold can be passed to other people.