突然

tū rán

HSK 2.0 Level 3 HSK 3.0 Level 3 Adjective Very common

Definitions

1. sudden; abrupt; unexpected

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

慢慢

màn màn

slowly

gradual vs. sudden

Related words

2 items

猛然

měng rán

suddenly

sudden action or realization

骤变

zhòu biàn

to change suddenly

sudden change (formal)

Synonyms

1 item

忽然

hū rán

suddenly; all of a sudden

sudden occurrence

Usage notes

Collocations

突然 is often used with 很 to express 'very sudden' (很突然), but 忽然 cannot be intensified.

Common mistakes

突然 can be used as an adjective (e.g., 很突然) or adverb (他突然走了). 忽然 is only an adverb.

Grammar

Guides that feature 突然

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

2 guides

HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min

赶紧, 赶快 and 忽然 for “Hurry” and “Suddenly”

Use 赶紧 and 赶快 for doing something quickly without delay, and 忽然 for something that happens all of a sudden.

Reading: tū rán Open guide

HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 5+ 6 min

A着A着 for “While Doing…, Suddenly…”

Use A着A着, as in 走着走着 and 说着说着, to say that something unexpected happened while an action was going on.

Reading: tū rán Open guide

Example Sentences

5 shown

突然，一个问题出现了。

Suddenly, a problem appeared.

突然的响声使小鸟受惊了。

The sudden noise startled the little bird.

他突然不辞而别，大家都感到意外。

He suddenly left without saying goodbye, and everyone was surprised.

他突然发火了，大家都很惊讶。

He suddenly got angry, and everyone was surprised.

他们突然袭击了敌人。

They suddenly attacked the enemy.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 突然

突然间

tū rán jiān