转 (zhuàn): to revolve; to spin

Meanings

1 to revolve; to spin
2 to turn around; to circle
3 to walk about; to stroll
4 measure word for revolutions or laps

Characters

Same graph as the zhuǎn reading - vehicle 车 plus phonetic 专. The fourth-tone reading specialises in continuous rotation and counting revolutions.

Examples

HSK 3

他急得在屋子里团团转。

Tā jí de zài wūzi lǐ tuántuán zhuàn.

He was so anxious he kept pacing in circles around the room.

HSK 6

地球自转，也绕着太阳公转。

Dìqiú zìzhuàn, yě rào zhe tàiyáng gōngzhuàn.

The Earth rotates on its own axis and revolves around the sun.

HSK 6

这台发动机每分钟六千转。

Zhè tái fādòngjī měi fēnzhōng liùqiān zhuàn.

This engine runs at six thousand revolutions per minute.

Tips

usage

As a measure word, zhuàn counts complete revolutions or laps: 每分钟 3600 转 (3600 RPM). The reading shows up wherever something keeps going round: 转动 (rotate about an axis), 转圈, 自转, 公转, 打转.

memory

Hear the falling fourth tone of zhuàn as the wheel pressing down and rolling on - continuous motion. The dipping third tone of zhuǎn lifts the wheel and points it somewhere new - one pivot.

Components

radical

车 chē

vehicle; cart

Vehicle radical on the left - a cart seen from above with axle and wheels. Wheels going round and round is the picture behind the zhuàn reading: continuous rotation, laps, revolutions per minute. Same radical anchors 轮 wheel, 辕 shaft.

phonetic

专 zhuān

specialised; concentrated

Right side 专 supplies the sound (zhuān to zhuàn, tone shift only). Simplified from 專, showing a hand turning a spindle - the spindle image fits the fourth-tone sense perfectly: spinning around and around.