骤 (zhòu): suddenly

Meanings

1 suddenly
2 abruptly
3 at once

Characters

骤

zhòu

sudden / abrupt / (of a horse) to gallop

Examples

HSK 4

天气骤变，气温骤降。

Tiānqì zhòu biàn, qìwēn zhòujiàng.

The weather changed suddenly, with temperatures dropping sharply.

HSK 7-9

他的病情骤然恶化。

Tā de bìngqíng zhòurán èhuà.

His condition suddenly deteriorated.

Tips

register

骤 is more literary/classical than 突然. It often appears in formal writing, news reports, or literary contexts. Common compounds: 骤然 (suddenly), 骤降 (sudden drop), 骤变 (sudden change).

Components

radical

马 mǎ

horse

Left 马 - pictograph of a horse with mane, the indexing radical placing 骤 in the equine family with 驰 (gallop), 骑 (ride), 驾 (drive a carriage). 骤 originally meant 'horses galloping in tight formation,' an image of sudden speed and surging movement - source of the modern 'suddenly, abruptly.'

phonetic

聚 jù

to gather; to assemble

Right 聚 supplies sound and meaning. Sound: jù to zhòu via old palatal-affricate alternation. Meaning: 聚 means 'to gather, to crowd together' - the horses surge as a pack. The combined image is 'a crowd of galloping horses,' delivering the 'sudden, abrupt' sense through the suddenness of a charging herd.