顺

• Pinyin: shùn
• Hanzi breakdown: 顺 = 川 (river) + 页 (head) — flowing smoothly like a river

Meaning

Along; following; smooth; in order. As a verb: to follow, to obey, or to do something conveniently.

A highly versatile word expressing smoothness, compliance, or doing something in passing. As an adjective, it means smooth or going well. As a preposition, it means along or following. As a verb, it means to go along with or do something conveniently while doing something else. Common in 顺便 (conveniently), 顺利 (smoothly).

Examples

1. 沿着这条路一直往前走，顺着河走就能到。 Walk straight along this road; follow the river and you'll get there.
2. 你出门的时候顺便帮我寄一下这封信。 When you go out, please mail this letter for me while you're at it.
3. 最近工作很顺，心情也好了很多。 Work has been going smoothly lately, and my mood has improved a lot too.

Usage Guide

Context: directions, favors, describing situations

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 顺便问一下，你明天有空吗？(By the way, are you free tomorrow?)
• 一切都很顺利。(Everything is going smoothly.)

Don't Say

• 我顺他说的话。(Use 顺着 or 听从 — 顺 alone needs proper grammatical structure)

Origin & History

Composed of 川 (river) and 页 (head/page). Rivers flow smoothly in one direction, symbolizing following along or smooth progress.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal