Meaning of 顺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to obey
- to follow
- to arrange
- to make reasonable
- along
- favorable
How to use 顺
顺 appears mostly in compounds like 顺利 (shùnlì, smoothly), 顺便 (shùnbiàn, in passing) and 顺序 (shùnxù, order). On its own it can mean "along" or "to follow", as in 顺着这条路走 (shùnzhe zhè tiáo lù zǒu), walk along this road.
顺 (shùn) has 川 (chuān, river) on the left and 页 (yè, head) on the right. Picture a head bowed calmly while a river flows along, going with the current instead of against it.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left part as three equal strokes like 三 turned sideways. In 顺 it is 川, with a curved first stroke, and the right side is 页, not 贝 (bèi). Also keep the fourth tone: shùn, not shǔn.
顺 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.
顺 shùn · to obey · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 顺.
| 顺利 | shùnlì | smoothly; without a hitch |
| 一路顺风 | yīlù-shùnfēng | to have a pleasant journey (idiom) |
| 顺序 | shùnxù | sequence; order |
| 顺便 | shùnbiàn | conveniently; in passing |
| 顺着 | shùnzhe | to follow; following |
| 顺从 | shùncóng | obedient; to comply |
| 顺其自然 | shùnqízìrán | to let nature take its course (idiom) |
| 顺路 | shùnlù | by the way; while out doing sth else |
| 一帆风顺 | yīfān-fēngshùn | propitious wind throughout the journey (idiom); plain sailing |
| 孝顺 | xiàoshùn | filial; dutiful |
| 顺手 | shùnshǒu | as an incidental action while doing sth else; while one is at it; in passing; smooth; easy |
| 顺畅 | shùnchàng | smooth and unhindered; fluent |
Questions about 顺
What does 顺 mean?
顺 (shùn) means "to obey; to follow" and is used as a adjective, verb and preposition.
How do you write 顺?
顺 is made of 1 character: 顺 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 顺 an HSK word?
Yes. 顺 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 顺 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 顺 is written 順.
What is the difference between 顺便 and 方便?
顺便 (shùnbiàn) means doing something extra while you are already doing something else, like 顺便买杯咖啡 (buy a coffee while you're at it). 方便 (fāngbiàn) means convenient in general, as in 这里交通很方便 (transport here is convenient).
How do I wish someone a good trip using 顺?
Say 一路顺风 (yīlù shùnfēng), literally "a following wind the whole way". It is common when seeing someone off. Some people avoid saying it to someone about to fly, since planes take off into the wind, and use 一路平安 (yīlù píng'ān) instead.