变 (biàn): to change, to become different, to transform
变 (biàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to change.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 亦 (structural) and 又 (structural). It ranks #225 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Definitions
- to change
- to become different
- to transform
Stroke Order
Practice writing 变 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 变
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 改变verb | gǎi biàn | to change | 4 |
| 变成verb | biàn chéng | to change into | 3 |
| 变化verb/noun | biàn huà | (intransitive) to change | 3 |
| 转变verb | zhuǎn biàn | to change | 5 |
| 变动verb | biàn dòng | to change | 5 |
| 变质verb | biàn zhì | to degenerate | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 变态verb | biàn tài | to metamorphose (biology) |
| 变形verb | biàn xíng | to become deformed |
| 变异verb | biàn yì | variation |
| 变性verb | biàn xìng | to denature |
| 变种noun | biàn zhǒng | (biology) a mutation |
| 叛变verb | pàn biàn | to defect |
| 变为verb | biàn wéi | to change into |
| 变换verb | biàn huàn | to transform |
| 演变verb | yǎn biàn | to develop |
| 政变noun | zhèng biàn | coup d'état |
| 变革verb | biàn gé | to transform |
| 突变verb | tū biàn | sudden change |
| 变量noun | biàn liàng | variable (math.) |
| 变更verb | biàn gēng | to change |
| 一成不变 | yī chéng bù biàn | (idiom) immutable |
变 appears in 103 compound words: 63 as the first character, 37 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 变 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (25)
to get worse; to become aggravated; to intensify one's effort to do something wrong
to change color and alter one's expression (idiom); to go white with fear; out of one's wits
the military revolt of 960 that led Zhao Kuangyin 趙匡胤|赵匡胤 to found the Song dynasty
Showing 12 of 25 idioms containing 变.
Example Sentences
这座城市变化很大，几年不见已经认不出来了。
Zhè zuò chéngshì biànhuà hěn dà, jǐ nián bù jiàn yǐjīng rèn bù chūlai le.
This city has changed so much; after a few years, it's already unrecognizable.
葡萄牙房地产发展势头不减,但步伐有所改变
pú táo yá fáng dì chǎn fā zhǎn shì tóu bù jiǎn , dàn bù fá yǒu suǒ gǎi biàn
Portuguese real estate is gaining momentum, but the pace has changed
...味上墙!静安这幅“邻里新画卷”,让老小区变成了“..
. . . wèi shàng qiáng ! jìng ān zhè fú lín lǐ xīn huà juǎn , ràng lǎo xiǎo qū biàn chéng le . .
... Taste on the wall! Jing'an's "new picture of the neighborhood" has turned the old community into a ":
冬奥会|20日看点:赛程有变 目标不变
dōng ào huì 2 0 rì kàn diǎn : sài chéng yǒu biàn mù biāo bù biàn
Winter Olympics|20th highlights: The schedule has changed and the goal remains unchanged
守护万家灯火,90后山东小伙的萧山变电站除夕夜
shǒu hù mò jiā dēng huǒ , hòu shān dōng xiǎo huǒ de xiāo shān biàn diàn zhàn chú xī yè
Guarding the Lights of a Million Homes: A Shao Xian Substation New Year's Eve Night for a Shandong-Born Post-90s Youth
新华视点|福建:实体书店变身“文化会客厅” 全民阅..
xīn huá shì diǎn fú jiàn shí tī shū diàn biàn shēn wén huā huì kè tīng quán mín yuè . .
Xinhua Insight | Fujian: Physical Bookstores Transform into "Cultural Living Rooms," Promoting Reading Among All Citizens
我要改变我的饮食吗？
Wǒ yào gǎibiàn wǒ de yǐnshí ma?
Do I have to change my diet?
你说今晚改变一下，去外面吃晚饭怎么样？
Nǐ shuō jīnwǎn gǎibiàn yīxià, qù wàimiàn chī wǎnfàn zěnmeyàng?
How about eating out this evening for a change?
你觉得明天天气会变好吗？
Nǐ juéde míngtiān tiānqì huì biàn hǎo ma?
Do you think the weather will be fine tomorrow?
什么让他改变了心意？
Shénme ràng tā gǎibiàn le xīnyì?
What made him change his mind?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 变 (biàn)?
Is 变 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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