p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Discord

阵

陣
zhèn
classifier HSK 4 #4,844

Meanings

  1. 1 a burst; a spell; a gust (classifier for short periods or sudden occurrences)
  2. 2 battle formation; front

Examples

刮了一阵大风。
Guā le yī zhèn dà fēng.
A gust of strong wind blew.
他笑了一阵。
Tā xiào le yī zhèn.
He laughed for a while.
一阵雷声把我吵醒了。
Yī zhèn léishēng bǎ wǒ chǎo xǐng le.
A burst of thunder woke me up.
下了一阵雨就停了。
Xià le yī zhèn yǔ jiù tíng le.
It rained for a spell and then stopped.

Tips

grammar
一阵 (yī zhèn) is a classifier for sudden, short-lived events: 一阵风 (a gust of wind), 一阵雨 (a spell of rain), 一阵笑声 (a burst of laughter), 一阵疼痛 (a wave of pain).
history
The original meaning of 阵 is a military formation (阵法). This still appears in words like 阵地 (zhèndì, position/front) and 阵容 (zhènróng, lineup).

Stroke Order

阵 zhèn