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然

rán
conjunction #3,837

Meanings

  1. 1 correct; right; so
  2. 2 thus; like this; -ly (suffix)

Examples

虽然很难，但是我不放弃。
Suīrán hěn nán, dànshì wǒ bù fàngqì.
Although it's hard, I won't give up.
他突然笑了。
Tā tūrán xiào le.
He suddenly laughed.

Tips

usage
然 is one of the most versatile bound morphemes: 虽然 (suīrán, although), 当然 (dāngrán, of course), 突然 (tūrán, suddenly), 自然 (zìrán, nature/naturally), 然后 (ránhòu, then/after that), 居然 (jūrán, unexpectedly).
grammar
然 often functions as a suffix meaning '-ly' or 'in that manner': 忽然 (hūrán, suddenly), 显然 (xiǎnrán, obviously), 果然 (guǒrán, as expected).

Components

radical
灬 huǒ
fire (bottom radical form)
Bottom four-dots-of-fire radical (灬 = compressed 火, Kangxi #86). Pictures flames licking up under whatever sits above. Anchors the original 'to burn' meaning, now extinct in 然 itself but preserved in the longer 燃. Same radical groups 热 (hot), 煮 (boil), 焦 (scorched), 蒸 (steam).
phonetic
肰 rán
dog meat (top phonetic-semantic)
Top 肰 — composed of 月 (flesh) on the left and 犬 (dog) on the right, originally 'dog meat'. Provides the sound (rán) and grounds the etymology in burning flesh: meat over fire = 燃 'to burn'. The original sense was 'to burn, ignite,' later borrowed for the abstract 'so, thus, -ly' meanings while the burning sense moved to 燃.

Stroke Order

然 rán