Chinese word

滚

Pronunciation

Pinyingǔn

Meaning

  • verbroll

Example

球在地上滚。qiú zài dì shàng gǔn

The ball rolls along the ground.

Illustration for 滚 (roll)

More examples

小石子从山坡上滚下来了。xiǎo shí zǐ cóng shān pō shàng gǔn xià lái le

The pebble came rolling down from the hillside.

Core concept

A forceful continuous turning or surging that moves across a surface or pushes outward.

Common phrases

  • 打滚dá gǔn

    roll about

  • 滚下gǔn xià

    roll down

  • 滚开gǔn kāi

    go away

Similar words

滚动gǔn dòng: Move along a surface while turning over and over.
转动zhuǎn dòng: Turn around a central point or axis without necessarily moving elsewhere.
滑动huá dòng: Move smoothly along a surface while staying in contact with it.
滚落gǔn luò: Fall from a high place while turning over and over on the way down.

Definition in Chinese

表示物体绕轴或沿表面连续转动并随之移动，也可指人或物翻滚，口语中单独用于对人常带有“滚开/走开”的驱赶或侮辱意味，亦可指液体沸腾或翻腾。biǎo shì wù tǐ rào zhóu huò yán biǎo miàn lián xù zhuǎn dòng bìng suí zhī yí dòng yě kě zhǐ rén huò wù fān gǔn kóu yǔ zhōng dān dú yòng yú duì rén cháng dài yǒu gǔn kāi zǒu kāi de qū gǎn huò wú rǔ yì wèi yì kě zhǐ yè tǐ fèi téng huò fān téng

Word origin

滚 (gǔn, "roll") combines 氵 (shuǐ, "water") + 衮 (gǔn, "ceremonial robe"); the water component reflects an early sense of water rushing or surging, which extended to rolling and boiling.

Usage tips

  • A bare 滚 (gǔn, "roll") said to a person is a harsh dismissal, so a clear subject and situation matter when the word describes physical movement.

Other meanings

  • get outverb
  • boilverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 打滚dá gǔnroll aboutverb
  • 滚动gǔn dòngrollverb
  • 滚烫gǔn tàngscalding hotadjective

Word lists with this word