Meaning of 远
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- far
- distant
- remote
- (intensifier in a comparison) by far
- much (lower etc)
- to distance oneself from (classical)
How to use 远
远 describes physical distance and also big gaps in comparisons, often with 离 (lí) to say how far one place is from another. Example: 学校离我家很远。(Xuéxiào lí wǒ jiā hěn yuǎn.) The school is far from my home.
远 is made of 辶, the walking radical, plus 元 (yuán), which hints at the sound. Picture yourself walking a long road to reach something, and the walk feels far.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 远 (yuǎn, far) with 近 (jìn, near), since both use the walking radical 辶. Remember that 远 contains 元 and 近 contains 斤.
远 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.
远 yuǎn · far · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 远.
| 永远 | yǒngyuǎn | forever; eternal |
| 跳远 | tiàoyuǎn | long jump (athletics) |
| 远处 | yuǎnchù | distant place |
| 远离 | yuǎnlí | to be far from; to keep away from |
| 远远 | yuǎnyuǎn | distant; by far |
| 远方 | yuǎnfāng | far away; a distant location |
| 长远 | chángyuǎn | long-term; long-range |
| 遥远 | yáoyuǎn | distant; remote |
| 望远镜 | wàngyuǎnjìng | telescope (CL:部[bu4]); binoculars (CL:副[fu4]) |
| 远程 | yuǎnchéng | remote; long distance |
| 偏远 | piānyuǎn | remote; far from civilization |
| 深远 | shēnyuǎn | far-reaching; profound and long-lasting |
Questions about 远
What does 远 mean?
远 (yuǎn) means "far; distant" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 远?
远 is made of 1 character: 远 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 远 an HSK word?
Yes. 远 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 远 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 远 is written 遠.
How do I say how far a place is in Chinese?
Use 离 with 远: A 离 B 远吗? (A lí B yuǎn ma?) means "Is A far from B?" To ask the distance, say A 离 B 多远? (duō yuǎn), "How far is A from B?"
How is 远 used to mean "by far" in comparisons?
Put 远 or 远远 before the comparison to stress a big difference. For example, 他远远比我高。(Tā yuǎnyuǎn bǐ wǒ gāo.) means "He is far taller than me." You can also say 远不如 (yuǎn bùrú), "far inferior to."