Meaning of 随
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to follow
- to comply with
- varying according to...
- to allow
- subsequently
- surname Sui
How to use 随
随 rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in words like 随便 (suíbiàn), 随时 (suíshí) and 随着 (suízhe). Example: 随着时间的推移，他的中文越来越好。(Suízhe shíjiān de tuīyí, tā de Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè hǎo.) As time went on, his Chinese got better and better.
The left part 阝 looks like a hill, and 辶 on the bottom is the walking radical, the one in 这 (zhè) and 道 (dào). Picture yourself walking behind someone along a hillside path, following wherever they go, and you have 随 (suí), to follow.
Common mistake: Learners often say 随便 with a falling tone on 随. It is second tone, suí, rising like a question. Also, 随便 can sound careless or rude when used about a person, as in 他很随便 (He is very careless or casual), so for a polite "whatever you like" to a guest, 随意 (suíyì) is softer.
随 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.
随 suí · to follow · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 随.
| 随便 | suíbiàn | as one wishes; as one pleases |
| 随时 | suíshí | at any time; at all times; at the right time; whenever necessary |
| 随手 | suíshǒu | conveniently; without extra trouble |
| 随着 | suízhe | along with; in the wake of |
| 随意 | suíyì | as one wishes; according to one's wishes |
| 跟随 | gēnsuí | to follow |
| 随后 | suíhòu | afterward; later; subsequently; following that |
| 追随 | zhuīsuí | to follow; to accompany |
| 伴随 | bànsuí | to accompany; to follow |
| 随机 | suíjī | according to the situation; pragmatic |
| 随心所欲 | suíxīnsuǒyù | (idiom) to follow one's heart's desires; to do as one pleases |
| 随时随地 | suíshí-suídì | anytime and anywhere |
Questions about 随
What does 随 mean?
随 (suí) means "to follow; to comply with" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 随?
随 is made of 1 character: 随 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 随 an HSK word?
Yes. 随 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 随 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 随 is written 隨.
What does 随你 (suí nǐ) mean?
随你 means "up to you" or "as you like." It can be neutral, but with a flat tone of voice it can sound annoyed, like "fine, whatever." 随你便 (suí nǐ biàn) works the same way.
What is the difference between 随着 and 跟着?
跟着 (gēnzhe) is everyday and physical, like following someone down the street. 随着 (suízhe) is more formal and usually means "along with" a change or trend, as in 随着经济发展 (as the economy develops).