突然
tūrán
The English word 'suddenly' is translated into Chinese as 突然 (tūrán).
突然 is used to describe something happening quickly and with little or no warning. It is often placed before the verb to describe an action that happens without warning.
Meaning: happening quickly and with little or no warning (adv)
Which one should you use?
While 突然 is the standard term, you may encounter 忽然 (hūrán), which is a formal term used to express the meaning of 'suddenly' and is often used in written Chinese or formal speech. For daily conversations, the informal term 一下子 (yīxiàzi) can be used to indicate something happening suddenly or instantly.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, 突然 is versatile as it can function as both an adverb and an adjective.
How do you pronounce it?
tūrán
Did you know?
- The character 突 in 突然 originally depicted a weapon piercing through something, evoking the image of a sudden break or intrusion.
- The word 突然 shares its characters with the term for 'sudden' in Japanese, though the pronunciation is entirely different.
- In some contexts, using 突然 to describe a person's behavior can imply that the person is being impulsive or unpredictable rather than just quick.
Examples in context
- 她突然出名了。She suddenly became famous.This sentence is useful for showing how to use 突然 to describe a sudden change in status.Tatoeba #396114 by GlossaMatik, translation #312613 by CK
- 屋頂突然崩塌了。The roof of the house suddenly buckled.This sentence demonstrates using 突然 to describe a sudden physical event.Tatoeba #12040032 by cienias, translation #12039608 by carlosalberto
- 幽靈突然消失了。The ghost vanished suddenly.This sentence shows how 突然 can describe a sudden disappearance.Tatoeba #13117587 by LeviHighway, translation #280727 by CK
- 突然 下雨了It suddenly started raining.
- 他突然变得沉默He suddenly became silent.
- 突然间，忽然之间Suddenly
- 他忽然间消失了He suddenly disappeared.
- 瞬间，她消失了In an instant, she disappeared.
- 那个问题使他瞬间愤怒That question made him suddenly angry.
- 55 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are walking in a park when the weather changes.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen天突然变黑了。Tiān túrán biàn hēi le.The sky suddenly turned dark.
- 俊杰 Junjie好像要下雨了。Hǎoxiàng yào xià yǔ le.It looks like it's going to rain.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们快回家吧。Wǒmen kuài huí jiā ba.Let's go home quickly.
- 俊杰 Junjie好，我也觉得冷。Hǎo, wǒ yě jué de lěng.Okay, I feel cold too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “suddenly” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
