颤 (chàn) · to tremble; to shiver; to quiver

Meanings

1 to tremble; to shiver; to quiver
2 to vibrate; to shake

Characters

Contains 亶 (sincere) as phonetic + 页 (head/page radical). The 页 radical relates to the head - trembling of the head/body.

Examples

HSK 6

地震的时候整栋楼都在颤。

Dìzhèn de shíhou zhěng dòng lóu dōu zài chàn.

During the earthquake the whole building was shaking.

HSK 7-9

她冷得浑身发颤。

Tā lěng de húnshēn fāchàn.

She was so cold her whole body was shivering.

HSK 7-9

他的声音在颤抖。

Tā de shēngyīn zài chàndǒu.

His voice was trembling.

Tips

usage

颤 has two readings: chàn (tremble, as in 颤抖, 发颤) and zhàn (shiver, as in 颤栗, 打颤). The chàn reading is far more common in modern usage.

Components

radical

页 yè

page; head (radical form)

Right side 页 - the indexing head radical, a stylised drawing of a kneeling figure with emphasized head. Indexes 颤 in the head-and-face family alongside 颠 to topple, 顶 crown, 顾 to turn the head. The original 颤 named a trembling head - a shiver felt first in the skull.

phonetic

亶 dǎn

abundant grain; sincere

Left side 亶 supplies the sound: dǎn drifted to chàn (also zhàn) via a regular d/zh-ch alternation. 亶 originally pictured a storehouse stuffed with grain - abundant, generous - but the imagery doesn't transfer here. Same phonetic underlies 擅 to monopolize and 颤's twin pronunciation pattern.