顿

頓

dùn

屯 + 页

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

dùn (verb) to pause; to stop

dùn (verb) to arrange; to lay out

dùn (adverb) at once; immediately

dùn (noun) time; bout; spell

dùn (particle) measure word for a round or session (e.g.: a round of scolding, fighting, eating)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 页 represents the meaning and 屯 represents the sound. Simplified form of 頓.

Semantic: 页 Phonetic: 屯

About

顿 is a phono-semantic compound and the simplified form of 頓. The phonetic component 屯 (tún) on the left indicates the sound, while the radical 页 (yè) on the right means "head". The character's earliest meaning was the act of bowing the head or kowtowing, a sudden, stopping motion. This extended to any abrupt pause or halt, and later it became a common measure word for meals and other momentary actions.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我们吃一顿饭。

Wǒmen chī yī dùn fàn.

We eat a meal.

他停顿了一会儿。

Tā tíngdùn le yīhuìr.

He paused for a moment.

天气顿时变冷了。

Tiānqì dùnshí biàn lěng le.

The weather suddenly turned cold.

公司需要整顿纪律。

Gōngsī xūyào zhěngdùn jìlǜ.

The company needs to tighten discipline.

他一顿批评让我很难过。

Tā yī dùn pīpíng ràng wǒ hěn nánguò.

His round of criticism made me very sad.

经过整顿，部门效率提高了。

Jīngguò zhěngdùn, bùmén xiàolǜ tígāo le.

After reorganization, the department's efficiency improved.

他顿悟了人生的道理。

Tā dùnwù le rénshēng de dàolǐ.

He suddenly realized the truth of life.

在整顿市场秩序的过程中，政府采取了多项措施。

Zài zhěngdùn shìchǎng zhìxù de guòchéng zhōng, zhèngfǔ cǎiqǔ le duō xiàng cuòshī.

In the process of reorganizing market order, the government has taken multiple measures.

Related Characters

Component: 屯

Component: 页

顿