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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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<p>Both 突然 (tūrán) and 忽然 (hūrán) express the something happens in
a very short time or is unexpected. Both can be translated as
"unexpectedly" or "surprisingly," however, 突然 is a bit harsher in
tone while 忽然 is a bit softer. Also, their grammatical features are
subtly different, as outlined in this article.</p>
<h2 id="both-突然-and-忽然-can-be-used-as-adverbs">Both 突然 and 忽然 can
be used as Adverbs</h2>
<p>突然 and 忽然 both can put in the sentence as <a href="adverb"
title="wikilink">adverbs</a> or <a href="adjective" title=
"wikilink">adjectives</a>, just make sure to put them before the
verb or the adjective!</p>
<h3 id="before-a-verb">Before a Verb</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>突然／忽然 + Verb</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>睡觉 的 时候，我 的 电话<em>突然</em> 响了。<span class="trans">While I was
sleeping, my phone suddenly started to ring.</span></li>
<li>睡觉 的 时候，我 的 电话<em>忽然</em> 响了。<span class="trans">While I was
sleeping, my phone suddenly started to ring.</span></li>
<li>他 说着说着<em>突然</em> 不 说 了。 <span class="trans">He was talking and
talking, and suddenly stopped.</span></li>
<li>他 说着说着<em>忽然</em> 不 说 了。 <span class="trans">He was talking and
talking, and suddenly stopped.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="before-an-adjective">Before an Adjective</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>突然／忽然 + Adj.</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>天 <em>突然</em> 暗 了。</li>
<li>天 <em>忽然</em> 暗 了。</li>
<li><span class="trans">The sky suddenly got dark.</span></li>
<li>灯 <em>突然</em> 不 亮 了。</li>
<li>灯 <em>忽然</em> 不 亮 了。</li>
<li><span class="trans">The lights suddenly went out</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="at-the-beginning-of-a-sentence">At the Beginning of a
Sentence</h3>
<p>You can place 突然 and 忽然 at the beginning of a sentence, just
make sure to add a comma after it!</p>
<h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>突然／忽然，⋯⋯</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-2">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li><em>突然</em>，他 进来 了。</li>
<li><em>忽然</em>，他 进来 了。</li>
<li><span class="trans">Suddenly, he entered.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="突然-can-be-used-as-an-adjective">突然 can be used as an
Adjective</h2>
<p>突然 can be used as an <a href="adjective" class="uri" title=
"wikilink">adjective</a> (directly modifying <a href="noun" title=
"wikilink">nouns</a>), while 忽然 <em>cannot</em>.</p>
<h3 id="structure-as-an-adjective">Structure as an Adjective</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>突然 + (的) + Noun</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-3">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>这 是 一 场 <em>突然</em> 事故，我们 都 没 想到。<span class="trans">This was a
sudden accident. None of us thought it could happen.</span></li>
<li>你 知道 怎么 处理 这 种 <em>突然</em> 的 情况 吗？<span class="trans">Do you
know how to handle this kind of sudden situation?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="突然-can-be-used-as-a-complement">突然 can be used as a
complement</h2>
<p>突然 as an adjective can also be used as a <a href="complement"
class="uri" title="wikilink">complement</a> (called 补语 in Chinese).
忽然 cannot be used as a complement.</p>
<h3 id="structure-for-verb-and-complement">Structure for verb and
complement</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + Verb + 得 + 突然</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-4">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>事情 发生 得 太 <em>突然</em>，我们 不 知道 怎么 办。<span class="trans">Things
happened so suddenly, we didn't know what to do.</span></li>
<li>这 场 雨 下 得 太 <em>突然</em>，都 淋湿 了。<span class="trans">This rain
fell so suddenly, everything got soaked.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="突然-can-be-used-as-the-predicate">突然 can be used as the
predicate</h2>
<p>Just like other adjectives, 突然 can be used as the predicate of a
sentence. It is usually added with a modifier like 很, 非常, 不 etc. It
can also end with 得很, 得多, 极了, etc. complements.</p>
<h3 id="structure-with-modifier-突然">Structure with modifier +
突然</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + Modifier + 突然</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-5">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>这 个 决定 太 <em>突然</em> 了。<span class="trans">This decision was
too sudden.</span></li>
<li>对 她 来说，这 次 升职 其实 不 <em>突然</em>。<span class="trans">To her, this
promotion wasn't actually surprising.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="structure-with-突然-modifier">Structure with 突然 +
modifier</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + 突然 + Modifier</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-6">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>离开 上海 <em>突然</em> 得 很。<span class="trans">Leaving Shanghai is
really surprising.</span></li>
<li>这 次 生病 比 上 次 <em>突然</em> 得 多。<span class="trans">Getting sick
this time is much more surprising than the last time.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="example-of-right-and-wrong-sentences">Example of right and
wrong sentences</h2>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>这 个 决定 很 <em>忽然</em>。</li>
<li>这 个 决定 很 <em>突然</em>。 <span class="expl">突然 can be a predicate,
while 忽然 cannot.</span></li>
<li>一切 发生 得 太 <em>忽然</em>。</li>
<li>一切 发生 得 太 <em>突然</em>。 <span class="expl">突然 can be a
complement, but 忽然 cannot.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="example-dialog">Example Dialog</h2>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>A: 我 正在 睡觉，<em>忽然</em> 电话响了，是 Amy 打 来 的。<span class="trans">I
was sleeping, when suddenly the phone rang. It was Amy.</span></li>
<li>B: 她 说 什么？<span class="trans">What did she say?</span></li>
<li>A: 她 结婚 了。<span class="trans">She got married.</span></li>
<li>B: 啊，这 个 消息 太<em>突然</em> 了。<span class="trans">Oh, this news is
really sudden.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further
reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href=
"%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D%EF%BC%88%E5%A2%9E%E8%AE%A2%E6%9C%AC%EF%BC%89"
class="uri" title="wikilink">现代汉语八百词（增订本）</a> (突然 p.540) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D/dp/B001198GSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345693275&amp;sr=8-1">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href=
"%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%99%9A%E8%AF%8D%E4%BE%8B%E9%87%8A"
class="uri" title="wikilink">现代汉语虚词例释</a> (忽然p.247)<a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D/dp/B004323J90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345693275&amp;sr=8-1">→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_2" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2</a> (pp. 231-2)
<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276881/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0887276881">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href=
"Chinese_Grammar_-_Broken_down_into_100_items_-_Basic_and_Intermediate_Levels_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E7%99%BE%E9%A1%B9%E8%AE%B2%E7%BB%83_-_%E5%88%9D%E4%B8%AD%E7%BA%A7)"
title="wikilink">Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items -
Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)</a>(突然
忽然p.113)<a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B004WA6JSQ/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B004WA6JSQ">→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="dictionaries">Dictionaries</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href=
"%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8%EF%BC%88%E7%AC%AC5%E7%89%88%EF%BC%89"
class="uri" title="wikilink">现代汉语词典（第5版）</a> (忽然p.574 突然p.1378)
<a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8/dp/B001B1RZCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345693609&amp;sr=8-1">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="Category:grammar_comparison" title=
"wikilink">Category:grammar comparison</a></p>
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