暂 meaning and stroke order
Temporary; Taiwan pr. [zhan4]
How to write 暂, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 暂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- temporary
- Taiwan pr. [zhan4]
- to scurry
- variant of 暫|暂[zan4]
How 暂 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sun.
日 gives the meaning and 斩 hints at the sound.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 暂
暂 is 斩 (zhǎn, to chop) on top of 日 (rì, sun or day). Picture the day being chopped into a small piece, so something lasts only a short time. 斩 also hints at the sound, since zhǎn and zàn are close.
暂 almost always appears in words, not alone, and means "for now" or "briefly." The most common words are 暂时 (zànshí, for the time being), 暂停 (zàntíng, to pause), and 短暂 (duǎnzàn, brief). Example: 我暂时住在朋友家。(Wǒ zànshí zhù zài péngyou jiā.) I am staying at a friend's place for the time being.
Common mistake: Learners often write 惭 or 渐 (jiàn, gradually) instead, because they share 斩. In 暂 the 斩 sits on top of 日, while 渐 has the water radical on the left, and its meaning is "gradually," not "temporarily."
Common words with 暂
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
暂 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 暂
How many strokes are in 暂?
暂 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 暂 mean?
暂 (zàn) means temporary; Taiwan pr. [zhan4]. A common word with it is 暂时 (zànshí), meaning "temporary; provisional; for the time being".
How do you pronounce 暂?
暂 is pronounced zàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 暂?
The radical of 暂 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 暂 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 暂?
The traditional form of 暂 is 暫 and 蹔. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 暂 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 暂 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 暂 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 暂时 and 临时?
暂时 (zànshí) means "for now" and describes a state that will change later, as in 暂时不去 (not going for now). 临时 (línshí) means arranged at the last minute or temporary in nature, as in 临时工 (a temp worker).
Why do some people pronounce 暂 as zhàn?
In Taiwan the standard reading is zhàn. In mainland Mandarin it is zàn, so learners following mainland standards should say zàn.