传 (chuán): to pass on

Meanings

1 to pass on
2 to spread
3 to transmit
4 to infect
5 to circulate
6 to conduct (electricity, heat, sound)

Characters

传

chuán

to pass on; to transmit; to spread

Examples

HSK 3

请把球传给我。

Qǐng bǎ qiú chuán gěi wǒ.

Please pass the ball to me.

HSK 3

这个消息很快就传开了。

Zhège xiāoxi hěnkuài jiù chuán kāi le.

This news spread quickly.

HSK 7-9

这个手艺是祖父传下来的。

Zhège shǒuyì shì zǔfù chuán xiàlái de.

This craft was passed down from grandfather.

Tips

usage

chuán is the everyday reading - handing things along, spreading news, transmitting signals, passing on a craft. It also covers contagion (传染), broadcasting (传播), and physical conduction of heat or electricity (传导). If the sense is movement-along-a-chain in any modality, it's chuán.

mistakes

Two readings - pick by meaning. chuán = the verb (pass / spread / transmit). zhuàn = the noun (biography / commentary), seen in 自传, 水浒传, 左传. When the word ends in 传 and names a written life-story or classic, switch to zhuàn.

Components

radical

亻 rén

person radical

Left radical 亻 is the side-form of 人 (person). It marks 传 as a person-mediated action: handing things along, telling stories, passing on craft. Same radical anchors 信 (letter), 任 (assign), 仅 (only).

phonetic

专 zhuān

specialised; concentrated

Right phonetic 专 supplies the sound - zhuān shifted to chuán via onset alternation in the same place of articulation. Traditional 傳 used the fuller 專 phonetic; simplified 专 keeps the role with fewer strokes. Same phonetic in 转 (turn) and 砖 (brick).