穿

chuān

牙 + 穴

HSK 2.0Level 2

HSK 3.0Level 1

Frequency#785

Definitions

chuān (verb) to wear; to put on; to dress

chuān (verb) to pierce; to penetrate; to pass through

chuān (verb) to thread; to bore through

Etymology

Alludes to creating a hole (穴) with one's teeth (牙). Based on the original meaning "bore a hole". The meaning later expanded to "pass through" and "wear".

Semantic: 牙 Phonetic: 穴

About

The character "穿" is structurally composed of "穴" meaning hole and "牙" meaning tooth, directly indicating its original meaning of piercing or boring a hole through something. This core concept of penetration led to the extended sense of wearing clothing, derived from the action of threading one's body through sleeves and other openings in garments. Further semantic development allowed it to express more general acts of passing through or traversing spaces and obstacles.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她穿蓝外套。

Tā chuān lán wàitào.

She wears a blue coat.

弟弟穿运动鞋上学。

Dìdi chuān yùndòngxié shàngxué.

Younger brother wears sneakers to school.

冬天我们要穿厚衣服。

Dōngtiān wǒmen yào chuān hòu yīfu.

In winter, we need to wear thick clothes.

阳光穿过窗户。

Yángguāng chuānguò chuānghu.

Sunlight shines through the window.

他穿过马路去商店。

Tā chuānguò mǎlù qù shāngdiàn.

He crosses the street to go to the store.

这件衣服穿起来很舒服。

Zhè jiàn yīfu chuān qǐlái hěn shūfu.

This piece of clothing wears very comfortably.

如果你冷，就多穿一件外套。

Rúguǒ nǐ lěng, jiù duō chuān yī jiàn wàitào.

If you are cold, then wear an extra coat.

穿过这片森林，我们就能看到湖泊。

Chuānguò zhè piàn sēnlín, wǒmen jiù néng kàndào húpō.

After passing through this forest, we will be able to see the lake.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 牙

Component: 穴

穿