Chinese word

顿时

Pronunciation

Pinyindùn shí

Meaning

  • adverbimmediately

Example

他一听到消息，顿时跑了过去。tā yì tīng dào xiāo xī dùn shí pǎo le guò qù

When he heard the news, he immediately ran over.

Illustration for 顿时 (immediately)

More examples

看到答案，他顿时明白了。kàn dào dá àn tā dùn shí míng bái le

Seeing the answer, he immediately understood.

Core concept

A sudden turn happens and its result appears without a gap.

Common phrases

  • 顿时明白dùn shí míng bái

    understand immediately

  • 顿时愣住dùn shí lèng zhù

    freeze suddenly

  • 顿时跑过去dùn shí pǎo guò qù

    run over immediately

Similar words

马上mǎ shàng: Something happens at once or nearly at once, in an informal spoken style.
立刻lì kè: An action or response is carried out straight away.
立即lì jí: An action or procedure is carried out straight away, in a somewhat formal style.
随即suí jí: Another action or event follows immediately after the first one.

Definition in Chinese

表示在某一瞬间马上发生，强调动作或状况的突发性与即时性，常用作副词。biǎo shì zài mǒu yí shùn jiān mǎ shàng fā shēng qiáng diào dòng zuò huò zhuàng kuàng de tū fā xìng yǔ jí shí xìng cháng yòng zuò fù cí

Word origin

顿 (dùn, "sudden") combines with 时 (shí, "time") to mark the point at which a new action or state starts without delay.

Usage tips

  • English suddenly often highlights surprise, while this adverb mainly highlights how quickly a new action or state follows a trigger, even when the result is not dramatic.

Other meanings

  • suddenlyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word