Meaning of 顿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to stop
- to pause
- to arrange
- to lay out
- to kowtow
- to stamp (one's foot)
- at once
- classifier for meals, beatings, scoldings etc: time, bout, spell, meal
How to use 顿
In daily speech 顿 is most often a measure word for meals and for things that happen in one go, like a scolding or a beating. Example: 我今天吃了三顿饭。(Wǒ jīntiān chī le sān dùn fàn.) I ate three meals today.
顿 has 页 (yè, head) on the right, so picture someone bowing their head down and stopping for a moment. A head that pauses or bows matches the senses "to stop" and "to kowtow."
Common mistake: Learners often use 次 (cì) for meals, but Chinese says 一顿饭 (yí dùn fàn), not 一次饭. Also do not confuse 顿 with 吨 (dūn, ton), which has a different left side and a first tone.
顿 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.
顿 dùn · to stop · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 顿.
Questions about 顿
What does 顿 mean?
顿 (dùn) means "to stop; to pause" and is used as a measure word.
How do you write 顿?
顿 is made of 1 character: 顿 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 顿 an HSK word?
Yes. 顿 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 顿 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 顿 is written 頓.
Can 顿 be used for good things, or only for meals and punishment?
It works best with meals and with negative events such as 骂了一顿 (mà le yí dùn, gave a scolding) or 打了一顿 (dǎ le yí dùn, gave a beating). For neutral or happy events like trips or visits, use 次 (cì) instead.
What does 顿时 mean and how is it different from 马上?
顿时 (dùnshí) means "suddenly, at that very moment" and describes a change that already happened, as in 他顿时明白了 (he suddenly understood). 马上 (mǎshàng) usually points to something that will happen right away.