Meaning of 程序
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- procedures
- sequence
- order
- computer program
How to use 程序
程序 is used for official or formal procedures and also for computer programs. For software it often appears in compounds like 程序员 (chéngxùyuán, programmer) and 小程序 (xiǎo chéngxù, mini app). Example: 这个程序很复杂。(Zhège chéngxù hěn fùzá.) This program is very complicated.
程 (chéng) appears in words about a path or process, like 过程 (guòchéng), and 序 (xù) means order, as in 顺序 (shùnxù). Put them together and you get steps done in order: a procedure, or a computer program that runs step by step.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 程序 (chéngxù) with 顺序 (shùnxù). 顺序 is simply the order of things, while 程序 is a set procedure or a program. Also watch the tones: chéng is second tone and xù is fourth tone, not xū.
程序 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.
程 chéng · process · 12 strokes
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序 xù · order · 7 strokes
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- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 程序.
| 过程 | guòchéng | course of events; process |
| 程度 | chéngdù | degree; level; extent |
| 课程 | kèchéng | course; academic program |
| 工程师 | gōngchéngshī | engineer |
| 工程 | gōngchéng | engineering; an engineering project |
| 顺序 | shùnxù | sequence; order |
| 行程 | xíngchéng | journey; travel route; itinerary; distance of travel |
| 旅程 | lǚchéng | journey; trip |
| 秩序 | zhìxù | order; orderliness (in society, in the classroom, on the roads etc) |
| 路程 | lùchéng | route; path traveled |
| 进程 | jìnchéng | course of events; process; (computing) process (a running instance of a program) |
| 远程 | yuǎnchéng | remote; long distance |
Questions about 程序
What does 程序 mean?
程序 (chéngxù) means "procedures; sequence" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 程序?
程序 is made of 2 characters: 程 (12 strokes), 序 (7 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 程序 an HSK word?
Yes. 程序 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 程序 and 过程?
程序 is a fixed set of steps you are supposed to follow, like a legal or application procedure. 过程 (guòchéng) is the process or course of something as it actually happens, such as 学习的过程 (the learning process).
Can 程序 mean an app on my phone?
Yes, in casual speech people may call software 程序, and 应用程序 (yìngyòng chéngxù) is the full term for an application. In daily life most people just say 应用 or App, and 小程序 refers to mini apps inside WeChat.