Meaning of 四周
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- all around
How to use 四周
四周 describes the area surrounding a place or person, often after a noun or with 的. It is common in descriptions and writing. Example: 房子四周都是树。(Fángzi sìzhōu dōu shì shù.) There are trees all around the house.
四 (sì) means four and 周 (zhōu) means a circuit or circle. Picture the four sides of a circle around you, and you have "all around."
Common mistake: Learners often read 四周 as "four weeks" because 周 also means week, as in 下周 (xià zhōu). Four weeks is usually 四个星期 (sì ge xīngqī) or 四周 only when context clearly means time, so check whether the sentence is about space or time.
四周 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
四 sì · four · 5 strokes
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- 5
周 zhōu · week · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 四周.
| 周末 | zhōumò | weekend |
| 下周 | xià zhōu | next week |
| 上周 | shàng zhōu | last week |
| 周年 | zhōunián | anniversary; annual |
| 周围 | zhōuwéi | environs; surroundings; periphery |
| 周期 | zhōuqī | period; cycle |
| 四处 | sìchù | all over the place; everywhere and all directions |
| 周到 | zhōudào | thoughtful; considerate |
| 周边 | zhōubiān | periphery; rim; perimeter; surroundings; (computing) (attributive) peripheral |
| 众所周知 | zhòngsuǒzhōuzhī | (idiom) as everyone knows |
| 四季 | sìjì | four seasons, namely: spring 春[chun1], summer 夏[xia4], autumn 秋[qiu1] and winter 冬[dong1] |
| 四面八方 | sìmiàn-bāfāng | (idiom) all directions; all around |
Questions about 四周
What does 四周 mean?
四周 (sìzhōu) means "all around" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 四周?
四周 is made of 2 characters: 四 (5 strokes), 周 (8 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 四周 an HSK word?
Yes. 四周 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 四周 and 周围?
Both mean surroundings and often swap freely. 周围 (zhōuwéi) is more common in speech and can also describe people around you, like 周围的人. 四周 stresses every side of a place and sounds a bit more descriptive.
Can 四周 be used as an adverb, like "look around"?
Yes, it often comes before a verb to show direction, as in 向四周看 (xiàng sìzhōu kàn), look all around. You can also use it as a subject, as in 四周很安静 (sìzhōu hěn ānjìng), it is quiet all around.