HSK · Level 40
120 words
Chinese word
串
Pronunciation
Pinyinchuàn
Meaning
- nounskewer
Example
他在街边烤串。tā zài jiē biān kǎo chuàn
He is grilling skewers by the roadside.
More examples
我在市场买了一根羊肉串。wǒ zài shì chǎng mǎi le yì gēn yáng ròu chuàn
I bought a lamb skewer at the market.
Core concept
A set of separate things threaded or lined up together, often on one stick or string and treated as one group.
Common phrases
烤串kǎo chuàn
grilled skewers
羊肉串yáng ròu chuàn
lamb skewers
一串葡萄yí chuàn pú táo
a bunch of grapes
Similar words
列liè: A line of people or things placed one after another in order.
组zǔ: A set of people or things grouped because they share a purpose or feature.
Definition in Chinese
把若干事物用线、棒或签子连成一体或排列起来的动作或结果；在口语中也指短时到别人家里走动或拜访（如“串门”）。bǎ ruò gān shì wù yòng xiàn bàng huò qiān zi lián chéng yì tǐ huò pái liè qǐ lái de dòng zuò huò jié guǒ zài kóu yǔ zhōng yě zhǐ duǎn shí dào bié rén jiā lǐ zǒu dòng huò bài fǎng rú chuàn mén
Word origin
串 (chuàn, "skewer") comes from the image of several objects arranged on a rod, and this arrangement provides the link to both grouped things and casual house-to-house visits.
Usage tips
- In everyday conversation, the social sense is casual and usually suggests dropping by rather than making a formal visit, so English "visit" is too broad without context.
Other meanings
- stringnoun
- bunchnoun
Related words
- 串烧chuàn shāobarbecued skewersnoun
- 串门chuàn ménvisit neighborsverb
- 串通chuàn tōngcolludeverb