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

请把球传给我。

Qǐng bǎ qiú chuán gěi wǒ.

Please pass the ball to me.

这个消息很快就传开了。

Zhège xiāoxi hěnkuài jiù chuán kāi le.

This news spread quickly.

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).