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

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.

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.

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.