运 (yùn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

运

yùn[yun4]Tone 4

to transport, luck

HSK 2

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運

Guru Deep Dive

English · to transport, luck

Cached lesson

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Topology:Semi-enclosure

Strokes:7

Writing Balance Rule: The walking enclosure radical (辶) must sweep gracefully underneath and support the inner semantic component (军) without crowding it.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 運 contains 軍 inside, which was maintained in simplified form 运 while the outer enclosure retained the standard 2-stroke walking radical.

1. Meaning

to transport, to move

to use, to applyfortune, luck, fate

Verb / NounNeutral#movement#abstract concepts#destiny

Sample Usage

我们要运送这些货物。
Wǒmen yào yùnsòng zhèxiē huòwù.
We need to transport these goods.
祝你好运！
Zhù nǐ hǎoyùn!
Good luck to you!

2. Sound

/[y̯yn⁵¹]/Tone: 51

运

yùnyun4

`(51)

=yùn

Initial Consonant

Type: Palatal Glide (Zero Initial)

Sounds like: Zero-initial with a front rounded glide

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips rounded forward, tongue body raised near the front palate.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -v vowel group

Sounds like: -ün rhymes with the un- sound in unlit, with rounded lips

Note: Written as 'un', pronounced as rounded 'ün' [y].

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ün'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: ün is short for üen.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, similar to saying 'No!' or 'Stop!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the rounded front vowel ü with the flat back vowel u.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful nod downwards, like a quick chop in the air representing a falling pitch from high to low.

3. Writing

Topology: Semi-enclosure · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The walking enclosure radical (辶) must sweep gracefully underneath and support the inner semantic component (军) without crowding it.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 運 contains 軍 inside, which was maintained in simplified form 运 while the outer enclosure retained the standard 2-stroke walking radical.

4. Components

Radical 辶 · Walking Radical (motion, movement, road)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 辶 (Indicates motion, carrying, or transporting from one place to another.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 军 (original sound: jūn)

Military forces (军) on the move, walking along the road (辶) to transport supplies.

辶 movement or transport
军 army or military unit providing sound and structure clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

9· Phonetic Root: 云 (yún)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the walking action element with a phonetic element representing an army camp or turning wheel, evolving to signify movement, transport, and cyclical fortune.

Semantic Evolution: From physical moving or carrying of goods to abstract destiny, fortune, and luck as things turn and flow.

The enclosure radical 辶 historically depicts footsteps on a path.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

vận

corresponds to a checked/falling tone register in Sino-Vietnamese borrowings.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ウン (un) / Kun: はこ.ぶ (hakobu)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

운

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

An army's supply trucks (军) drive along the road (辶), carrying massive fortune and cargo to transport across the country.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

转

zhuǎnto turnUses vehicle component (车) instead of army (军) with the walking radical.

动

dòngto moveUses strength component (力) paired with the heavy worker component.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

动(dòng)

Look closely at the right side: 运 has 军 (army), while 动 has 力 (strength).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

祝你在新的工作里好[___]！

Clue: yùn

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right-hand component 军 with similar looking radicals like 车 or 宋.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 运 mean when you see it combined in words like 运动 or 运气?

Production: How do you write the character for 'transport / luck' with a walking radical and an army component?

运yùnto transport, luck

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