单传

單傳
dānchuán
verb #68,371

Meanings

  1. 1 to have only one heir per generation (of a family or clan)
  2. 2 to be passed down from a single master (of a skill or art)

Examples

Tā jiā sān dài dānchuán, dōu shì dúzǐ.
His family has had only one son per generation for three generations — all only children.
Zhè mén wǔyì shì shīfu dānchuán gěi tā de.
This martial art was passed down to him from his master alone.

Tips

culture
单传 ('three generations of single-heir transmission') is a traditional phrase carrying real social weight in old China — the family line depended on that single son, so the pressure on him to produce heirs was enormous.

Stroke Order

dān
chuán