迁

• Pinyin: qiān
• Hanzi breakdown: 迁 = 辶 (movement/walk radical) + 千 (thousand — phonetic) — originally depicted movement to a new location

Meaning

To move; to relocate; to transfer or shift (a place, position, or status). Often used in formal or literary contexts for migration, relocation, or change.

A classical and formal verb for relocation or change of position. Less colloquial than 搬, more common in compounds and official language. Appears in 迁移 (migrate), 迁居 (move house), 迁都 (move the capital), 迁徙 (migrate — animals or people). Also used figuratively for shifting views or allegiances.

Examples

1. 公司总部已正式迁往长三角地区，以更好地承接当地的产业配套资源与市场发展机遇。 The company has officially relocated its headquarters to the Yangtze River Delta region to better tap into local industrial support and market opportunities.
2. 历史上，许多封建王朝因政治或军事原因多次迁都，每一次迁移都深刻影响了国家的政治格局。 Historically, many feudal dynasties moved their capitals multiple times for political or military reasons, and each relocation profoundly reshaped the country’s political landscape.
3. 随着城镇化进程加快，大批农村人口逐渐迁往城市，形成了规模庞大的人口流动浪潮。 As urbanization accelerates, large numbers of rural residents are gradually moving to cities, creating a massive wave of population movement.

Usage Guide

Context: relocation, government, history, demographics

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 该市已规划将部分政府职能部门迁往新城区，以缓解旧城区的人口与交通压力。(The city has planned to relocate some government functional departments to the new district, in order to ease population and traffic pressure in the old city.)
• 古代游牧民族逐水草而居，随季节变化频繁迁徙，展现出独特的生存智慧与文化适应能力。(Ancient nomadic peoples followed water and pasture, migrating frequently with the seasons, demonstrating a unique wisdom of survival and cultural adaptability.)

Don't Say

• 我迁了一下位置 — 迁 is not used for brief or casual physical movement; use 挪/移 for small shifts and 搬 for everyday moving of objects or residence

Origin & History

Pictophonetic character: 辶 (movement radical) + 千 (phonetic component, suggests qiān sound) — movement/relocation

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal