忽然

Chinese

		suddenly	so; thus; like this so; thus; like this; ‑ly; correct; right
trad. (忽然)		忽	然
simp. #(忽然)		忽	然

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hūrán

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨ ㄖㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): fat¹ jin⁴

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): fut-yèn / fut-yàn

  (Hailu, HRS): fud rhan

• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): hoh⁶ zeng² / huoh⁶ zeng²
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): hut-liân / hut-jiân

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: hūrán
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨ ㄖㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: hurán
    • Wade–Giles: hu¹-jan²
    • Yale: hū-rán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huran
    • Palladius: хужань (xužanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu⁵⁵ ʐän³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: fat¹ jin⁴
    • Yale: fāt yìhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: fat⁷ jin⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: fed¹ yin⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fɐt̚⁵ jiːn²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fut-yèn
    • Hakka Romanization System: fud^ˋ ien^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: fud⁵ yan²
    • Sinological IPA: /fut̚² i̯en¹¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fut-yàn
    • Hakka Romanization System: fud^ˋ (r)ian^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: fud⁵ yan²
    • Sinological IPA: /fut̚² (j)i̯an¹¹/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: fud rhan
    • Sinological IPA: /fut⁵⁻² ʒan⁵⁵/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: hoh⁶ zeng² [Phonetic: hoh⁷ zeng²]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔʔ¹⁻⁴⁵ t͡sɛŋ¹³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: huoh⁶ zeng² [Phonetic: huoh⁷ zeng²]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /huoʔ²⁻²⁴ t͡sɛŋ¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hut-liân
    • Tâi-lô: hut-liân
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hutlieen
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hut̚⁵⁻²⁴ liɛn²⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Taipei): /hut̚³²⁻⁴ liɛn²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hut-jiân
    • Tâi-lô: hut-jiân
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hutjieen
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hut̚³²⁻⁴ ziɛn²³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hut̚³²⁻⁵ d͡ziɛn¹³/

---

• Middle Chinese: xwot nyen

Rime
Character	忽	然
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	曉 (32)	日 (38)
Final (韻)	沒 (56)	仙 (77)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	呼骨切	如延切
Baxter	xwot	nyen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/huət̚/	/ȵiᴇn/
Pan Wuyun	/huot̚/	/ȵiɛn/
Shao Rongfen	/xuət̚/	/ȵʑjæn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/hwət̚/	/ȵian/
Li Rong	/xuət̚/	/ȵiɛn/
Wang Li	/xuət̚/	/ȵʑĭɛn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/xuət̚/	/ȵʑi̯ɛn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hu	rán
Expected Cantonese Reflex	fat1	jin4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*m̥ˤut  [n]a[n]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*hmɯːd  njen/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	忽	然
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	hū	rán
Middle Chinese	‹ xwot ›	‹ nyen ›
Old Chinese	/*m̥ˁut/	/*[n]a[n]/
English	careless; confused	so, thus; (adv suffix)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	忽	然
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	13211	10756
Phonetic component	勿	肰
Rime group	物	元
Rime subdivision	1	2
Corresponding MC rime	忽	然
Old Chinese	/*hmɯːd/	/*njen/

Adverb

忽然

1. suddenly

Synonyms

edit

• 一下 (yīxià)
• 一下子 (yīxiàzi)
• 一舉 / 一举 (yījǔ)
• 一頭 / 一头 (yītóu)
• 乍然 (zhàrán) (literary)
• 倏忽 (literary)
• 卒爾 / 卒尔 (cù'ěr) (literary)
• 忽地 (hūdì)
• 𢫦𢫦風 / 𢫦𢫦风 (Hakka)
• 暫 / 暂 (zàn) (literary)
• 猛 (měng)
• 猝然 (cùrán)
• 猛然 (měngrán)
• 猝爾 / 猝尔 (cù'ěr) (literary)
• 突然 (tūrán)
• 突然間 / 突然间 (tūránjiān)
• 豁然 (huòrán) (literary)
• 遽然 (jùrán) (literary)
• 陡 (dǒu) (literary, or in compounds)
• 陡然 (dǒurán)
• 霍然 (huòrán)
• 頓 / 顿 (literary)
• 頓然 / 顿然 (dùnrán)
• 驀地 / 蓦地
• 驀然 / 蓦然 (mòrán) (formal)
• 驟然 / 骤然 (zhòurán) (literary)

Dialectal synonyms of 突然 (“suddenly”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		突然, 忽然, 猝然
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		突然, 忽然, 猛然, 驀地, 乍然, 倏忽, 驟然, 猝然, 突然間, 冷不防, 一下, 一下子
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	忽然間, 冒猛地, 冒猛子, 冒冷子, 乍猛地, 乍乍地, 乍麼實兒, 虎拉巴兒, 一下兒, 一下子
	Taiwan	突然, 忽然, 突然間, 忽然間
	Singapore	突然, 忽然, 突然間, 忽然間
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	突乎其然
Cantonese	Guangzhou	突然, 突然間, 突然之間, 失驚無神, 失驚忘神
	Hong Kong	突然, 突然間, 突然之間, 忽然, 忽然間, 忽然之間, 失驚無神, 失雞無神, 一下
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	忽然間
	Taishan	突然之間
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	突然
Gan	Nanchang	突然
Hakka	Meixian	玄工, 玄玄風, 突然
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	突然間, 忽然間
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	突然間, 忽然間
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	突然間, 忽然間
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	突然間, 忽然間
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	突然間, 忽然間
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	突然
	Hong Kong	陣時間
	Senai (Huiyang)	陣間
Northern Min	Jian'ou	臨陣, 三不臨陣
Southern Min	Xiamen	突然, 忽然, 暴其然, 無張無持, 無張持
	Quanzhou	突然, 忽然, 無張無持, 無張持
	Zhangzhou	突然, 忽然, 暴其然, 無張無持, 無張持, 喝一下
	Tainan	突然間, 忽然間, 雄雄, 無張持, 步頻
	Penang (Hokkien)	雄險
	Singapore (Hokkien)	突然間, 忽然間
	Manila (Hokkien)	忽然間
	Shantou	突然
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	突然
Wu	Shanghai	著生頭裡, 著陌生頭, 著陌生裡, 著末生頭, 辣陌生頭, 辣末生頭, 辣末生裡, 冷陌生頭, 突然之間, 突然, 忽聲能
	Wenzhou	單下

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (忽然):

• → Japanese: 忽然(こつぜん) (kotsuzen); 忽然(こつねん) (kotsunen)
• → Korean: 홀연(忽然) (horyeon)

Verb

忽然

1. (Classical, euphemistic) to pass away

Synonyms

edit

• 下世 (xiàshì) (formal)
• 上天 (shàngtiān) (euphemistic)
• 上路 (shànglù) (euphemistic)
• 不在 (bùzài) (euphemistic)
• 不幸 (bùxìng) (Classical Chinese, euphemistic)
• 不祿 / 不禄 (bùlù) (archaic, euphemistic, of military officers)
• 亡
• 亡故 (wánggù) (literary)
• 仙逝 (xiānshì) (euphemistic)
• 仙遊 / 仙游 (xiānyóu) (euphemistic)
• 作古 (zuògǔ) (literary, euphemistic)
• 做鬼 (zuòguǐ) (colloquial)
• 傾世 / 倾世 (qīngshì) (literary)
• 傾亡 / 倾亡 (qīngwáng) (literary)
• 入寂 (rùjì) (Buddhism, of Buddhist monks)
• 凋謝 / 凋谢 (diāoxiè) (to die of old age)
• 化去 (huàqù) (euphemistic)
• 升天 (shēngtiān) (euphemistic)
• 即世 (jíshì) (literary)
• 去世 (qùshì)
• 合眼 (héyǎn) (euphemistic)
• 喪亡 / 丧亡 (sàngwáng) (literary)
• 喪命 / 丧命 (sàngmìng) (euphemistic)
• 喪生 / 丧生 (sàngshēng) (euphemistic)
• 嗚呼 / 呜呼 (wūhū) (euphemistic)
• 嗝屁 (gěpì) (Mandarin, vulgar, dysphemistic)
• 嚥氣 / 咽气 (yànqì) (colloquial)
• 回老家 (huí lǎojiā) (euphemistic, humorous)
• 圓寂 / 圆寂 (yuánjì) (of Buddhist monks or nuns)
• 壽終正寢 / 寿终正寝 (shòuzhōngzhèngqǐn) (euphemistic)
• 失氣 / 失气 (shīqì) (literary)
• 安息 (ānxī) (euphemistic)
• 安眠 (ānmián) (euphemistic)
• 小喇叭兒吹了 / 小喇叭儿吹了 (xiǎo lǎbār chuī le) (Beijing Mandarin)
• 就義 / 就义 (jiùyì) (to die a martyr)
• 崩 (bēng) (of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 崩殂 (bēngcú) (Classical, of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 彈老三 / 弹老三 (Northern Wu, informal, humorous)
• 往生 (wǎngshēng) (euphemistic)
• 掛 / 挂 (guà) (slang, humorous)
• 故 (gù)
• 故世 (gùshì) (euphemistic, chiefly of one's elders)
• 故去 (gùqù) (euphemistic, chiefly of one's elders)
• 斃命 / 毙命 (bìmìng) (pejorative)
• 早死 (zǎosǐ)
• 晏駕 / 晏驾 (yànjià) (of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 枯死 (kūsǐ) (literary, figurative)
• 棄世 / 弃世 (qìshì) (literary)
• 歸天 / 归天 (guītiān) (euphemistic)
• 歸西 / 归西 (guīxī) (euphemistic)
• 歸道山 / 归道山 (guī dàoshān) (literary, euphemistic)
• 死 (sǐ)
• 死亡 (sǐwáng) (formal)
• 死人 (sǐrén)
• 死去 (sǐqù) (informal)
• 死掉 (sǐdiào) (informal)
• 死翹翹 / 死翘翘 (sǐqiàoqiào) (informal, humorous)
• 死脫 / 死脱 (⁵shi-theq) (Wu)
• 殞 / 殒 (yǔn) (archaic)
• 氣絕 / 气绝 (qìjué) (literary)
• 永眠 (yǒngmián) (euphemistic, honorific)
• 沒世 / 没世 (mòshì) (literary)
• 沉眠 (chénmián) (euphemistic)
• 消忒 (Hakka, euphemistic)
• 物化 (wùhuà) (literary)
• 狗帶 / 狗带 (gǒudài) (slang, neologism)
• 畢命 / 毕命 (bìmìng) (formal, euphemistic)
• 病亡 (bìngwáng) (to die of illness)
• 病故 (bìnggù) (to die of illness)
• 病死 (bìngsǐ) (to die of illness)
• 病逝 (bìngshì) (to die of illness)
• 瘐死 (yǔsǐ) (of deaths in prison)
• 百年歸老 / 百年归老 (bǎiniánguīlǎo) (euphemistic, of the elderly)
• 盡命 / 尽命 (jìnmìng) (literary, euphemistic)
• 終 / 终 (zhōng) (literary, or in compounds, euphemistic)
• 絕 / 绝 (jué) (literary, or in compounds)
• 翹辮子 / 翘辫子 (qiào biànzi) (informal, humorous)
• 老了 (lǎo le) (euphemistic, of the elderly)
• 蒙主寵召 / 蒙主宠召 (méngzhǔchǒngzhào) (Christianity, euphemistic)
• 薨 (hōng) (Classical Chinese, of feudal lords or high officials)
• 薨逝 (hōngshì) (of feudal lords)
• 被難 / 被难 (bèinàn) (to be killed in a disaster, political incident, etc.)
• 見背 / 见背 (jiànbèi) (literary, of one's parents or elders)
• 見閻王 / 见阎王 (jiàn Yánwáng) (figurative)
• 見馬克思 / 见马克思 (jiàn Mǎkèsī) (communism, euphemistic)
• 謝世 / 谢世 (xièshì) (literary)
• 賓天 / 宾天 (bīntiān) (of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 走 (zǒu) (euphemistic)
• 走去踮 (Hokkien, euphemistic)
• 身亡 (shēnwáng) (formal, usually from unnatural causes)
• 辭世 / 辞世 (císhì) (literary)
• 辭塵 / 辞尘 (cíchén) (literary, euphemistic)
• 逝世 (shìshì)
• 進棺材 / 进棺材 (jìn guāncái)
• 過世 / 过世 (guòshì)
• 過去 / 过去 (guòqù) (euphemistic)
• 過往 / 过往 (Hokkien, euphemistic, Teochew, euphemistic)
• 過身 / 过身 (guòshēn) (literary)
• 過面 / 过面 (Hokkien)
• 長山賣鴨卵 / 长山卖鸭卵 (Hakka, euphemistic)
• 長眠 / 长眠 (chángmián) (euphemistic, honorific)
• 閉眼 / 闭眼 (bìyǎn) (euphemistic)
• 隕落 / 陨落 (yǔnluò) (euphemistic)
• 離世 / 离世 (líshì) (euphemistic)
• 駕崩 / 驾崩 (jiàbēng) (of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 駕鶴西去 / 驾鹤西去 (jiàhèxīqù) (euphemistic)
• 駕鶴西遊 / 驾鹤西游 (jiàhèxīyóu) (euphemistic)
• 龍馭上賓 / 龙驭上宾 (lóngyùshàngbīn) (of an emperor)

References

• “Entry #3935”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
忽	然
こつ Jinmeiyō	ぜん Grade: 4
on'yomi

Adjective

忽(こつ)然(ぜん) • (kotsuzen) ^†-tari (adnominal 忽(こつ)然(ぜん)とした (kotsuzen to shita) or 忽(こつ)然(ぜん)たる (kotsuzen taru), adverbial 忽(こつ)然(ぜん)と (kotsuzen to) or 忽(こつ)然(ぜん)として (kotsuzen to shite))

1. sudden

Synonyms

• 忽焉(こつえん) (kotsuen)