Chinese Conversation · Level 24
90 words
Chinese word
翻
Pronunciation
Pinyinfān
Meaning
- verbflip through
Example
他把报纸翻到体育版。tā bǎ bào zhǐ fān dào tǐ yù bǎn
He flipped through the newspaper to the sports section.
More examples
她晚上睡觉时翻了个身，继续睡觉。tā wǎn shàng shuì jiào shí fān le gè shēn jì xù shuì jiào
She turned over in her sleep at night and continued sleeping.
Core concept
One edge is lifted and moved across, revealing a hidden side or the next page; repeated movements let a reader scan a book.
Common phrases
翻页fān yè
turn a page
翻开fān kāi
flip open
翻身fān shēn
turn over in bed
Similar words
翻阅fān yuè: Read through a book or document by turning its pages.
翻开fān kāi: Open something folded so its inside or the next page becomes visible.
翻转fān zhuǎn: Turn an entire object around to show another side.
Definition in Chinese
用手或工具把纸张、书页或其它物体的一端掀起或向另一侧翻动，使下面的面或下一页显现。yòng shǒu huò gōng jù bǎ zhǐ zhāng shū yè huò qí tā wù tǐ de yì duān xiān qǐ huò xiàng lìng yí cè fān dòng shǐ xià miàn de miàn huò xià yí yè xiǎn xiàn
Word origin
翻 (fān, "flip") combines 羽 (yǔ, "feather") + 番 (fān, "order"), with 羽 evoking winglike movement and 番 supplying the sound.
Usage tips
- A complement such as 到 (dào, "arrive at") names the page or section reached, so the sentence can describe the result of handling a book rather than the hand movement.