忽然
HSK 5- Time
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
忽然 describes an action that occurs suddenly, unexpectedly, and within a short span of time.
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
The adverb 忽然 is used to describe an event that occurs very quickly, abruptly, and unexpectedly. It is equivalent to "suddenly" or "all of a sudden" in English.
忽然 always precedes a verb or verb phrase. It is commonly used in narrative writing to create a sense of surprise. Compared to 突然, 忽然 can only function as an adverb, whereas 突然 can also function as an adjective (e.g., 这件事很突然). When used as adverbs, the two are very close in meaning.
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 天空忽然下起了大雨。Tiānkōng hūrán xià qǐ le dàyǔ.
The sky suddenly started pouring down with heavy rain.
- 他忽然不想去了。Tā hūrán bù xiǎng qù le.
He suddenly didn't want to go anymore.
- 我忽然想起一件事。Wǒ hūrán xiǎng qǐ yí jiàn shì.
I suddenly remembered something.
- 她忽然哭了起来。繁: 她忽然哭了起來。Tā hūrán kū le qǐlái.
She suddenly burst into tears.
- 灯忽然灭了。繁: 燈忽然滅了。Dēng hūrán miè le.
The light suddenly went out.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:他改变主意忽然。Correct:他忽然改变了主意。
忽然 is an adverb and must come before the verb (改变); it cannot be placed at the end of the sentence.
- Wrong:这件事很忽然。Correct:这件事很突然。
忽然 is an adverb and cannot be used with 很; use the adjective 突然 to express the meaning "sudden."