Writing Balance Rule: The left side (mouth radical) is narrow and compact, while the right side (to sprout/special phonetic part) is wider and taller, balanced evenly on the horizontal axis.
1. Meaning
to gasp, to pant, to breathe heavily
asthmato take a brief rest / catch one's breath
Verb / NounNeutral#body#health#action
Sample Usage
他跑得上气不接下气，直喘粗气。
tā pǎo de shàng qì bù jiē xià qì, zhí chuǎn cū qì.
He ran out of breath and was panting heavily.
这几天天气不好，他的哮喘犯了。
zhè jǐ tiān tiānqì bù hǎo, tā de xiáochuǎn fàn le.
The weather has been bad these past few days, and his asthma acted up.
2. Sound
/[t͡ʂʰuän²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
喘
chuǎnchuan3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=chuǎn
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
chuan
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
ch
Type: Aspirated Retroflex
Sounds like: ch sound with a retroflex tongue position
AspiratedRetroflex
Airflow Tactile Test: Both curled tongue AND explosive puff of air! Tissue MUST fly.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near the hard palate, releasing a strong burst of air
Final Rhyme
uan
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -uan rhymes with 'wan' in English
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'wahn'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 starts mid-high, drops low into the vocal register, and rises back up, resembling an incredulous English 'What?'
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, chuǎn changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35) according to standard Mandarin tone sandhi rules.
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Listening trap: Do not confuse the retroflex initial 'ch-' with the dental affricate 'c-' (ts). Make sure your tongue is curled back rather than flat behind your teeth.
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Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 3 dips down like a roller coaster going down into a valley and then rising up, accompanied by a downward and upward dipping hand gesture.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (mouth radical) is narrow and compact, while the right side (to sprout/special phonetic part) is wider and taller, balanced evenly on the horizontal axis.
Semantic Clue (形旁):口 (Indicates that the action involves breathing, the mouth, or respiratory sounds.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):专 (original sound: zhuān)
The mouth radical (口) on the left represents breathing and the open mouth, while the right side (专) provides the phonetic sound clue, symbolizing air turning or circulating through the lungs.
口 Mouth / breath indicator
专 Phonetic component (zhuān)
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
11· Phonetic Root: 耑
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the mouth radical (口) representing breathing or vocal sound, and (专) serving as the phonetic indicator.
Semantic Evolution: Originally denoted rapid breathing or panting due to physical exertion, later expanding to include medical conditions like asthma (哮喘).
The character bridges physical respiratory distress with oral expression through its mouth component.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: セン / Kun: あえぐ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
천
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You open your MOUTH (口) wide to catch breath EXCLUSIVELY (专) because you are running so fast that you start to gasp and pant (chuǎn).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
耑
Phonetic Core (声旁)
端
duāntip, end, extremity, to hold level with both hands+ 立 (stand)
揣
chuāito put into (one's pockets, clothes)+ 扌 (hand)