散 (sàn): to scatter, to break up (a meeting etc), to disperse, to disseminate, to dispel, (coll.) to sack
散 (sàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to scatter.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 攵 (rap). It ranks #866 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 散 a hand 攵 tossing seeds from a basket. Its radical form 攵 (rap) appears in many related characters such as 放 (fàng, to put, to release), 教 (jiào, (bound form) to teach), 收 (shōu, to receive).
Definitions
- to scatter
- to break up (a meeting etc)
- to disperse
- to disseminate
- to dispel
- (coll.) to sack
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA hand 攵 tossing seeds from a basket
Stroke Order
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Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 散
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 散步verb | sàn bù | to take a walk | 4 |
| 分散adjective/verb | fēn sàn | to scatter | 6 |
| 散发verb | sàn fā | to distribute | 6 |
| 散文noun | sǎn wén | (broadly) prose (as opposed to verse) | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 解散 | jiě sàn | to dissolve |
| 疏散 | shū sǎn | idle |
| 扩散 | kuò sàn | to spread |
| 散开 | sàn kāi | to separate |
| 散布 | sàn bù | to disseminate |
| 散播 | sàn bō | to spread |
| 拆散 | chāi sàn | to break up (a marriage, family etc) |
| 懒散 | lǎn sǎn | indolent |
| 散心 | sàn xīn | to drive away cares |
| 驱散 | qū sàn | to disperse (a crowd etc) |
| 消散 | xiāo sàn | to dissipate |
| 失散 | shī sàn | to lose touch with |
| 散落 | sǎn luò | to lie scattered (over an area) |
| 走散 | zǒu sàn | to wander off |
| 散架 | sǎn jià | to fall apart |
散 appears in 100 compound words: 59 as the first character, 35 as the last, and 6 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 散 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (12)
Those who got together happily should also break up happily. / to part without hard feelings
to be frightened stiff; to be spooked out of one's mind; to be terror-stricken
to disperse after a happy time (idiom); everyone enjoys themselves to the full then party breaks up
scattered and disassociated soldiers; person who does not belong to a group
to disperse in a hubbub; to break up in an uproar; to abruptly part ways
to have a (often negative) lasting effect (with respect to a person or event that is now not existing)
clouds and mist disperse; clouds dispersed and the fog lifted; troubles have disappeared
Those who got together happily should also break up happily. / to part without hard feelings
to disperse after a happy time (idiom); everyone enjoys themselves to the full then party breaks up
to be frightened stiff; to be spooked out of one's mind; to be terror-stricken
to disperse in a hubbub; to break up in an uproar; to abruptly part ways
to have a (often negative) lasting effect (with respect to a person or event that is now not existing)
Example Sentences
会议结束后，大家陆续散去，各自回家。
Huìyì jiéshù hòu, dàjiā lùxù sàn qù, gèzì huí jiā.
After the meeting ended, everyone gradually dispersed and went home.
浓雾散去!台中机场07:22恢复起降 影响4架...
nóng wù sàn qù ! tái zhōng jī chǎng 0 7 : 2 2 huī fù qǐ jiàng yǐng xiǎng 4 jià . . .
The fog dispersed! Taichung Airport resumed take-off and landing at 07:22, affecting 4 aircraft...
年节热闹散去43人团圆剩祖母身影 中国女子感慨:热...
nián jié rè nào sàn qù 4 3 rén tuán yuán shèng zǔ mǔ shēn yǐng zhōng guó nǚ zǐ gǎn kǎi : rè . . .
The excitement of the New Year's Day dispersed, and 43 people reunited with the figure of the grandmother The Chinese woman sighed: hot...
国家妇女研究所阿尔加维代表团的解散被认为是不负责任的行为
guó jiā fù nǚ yán jiū suǒ ā ěr jiā wéi dài biǎo tuán de jiě sàn bèi rèn wéi shì bù fù zé rèn de háng wéi
The dissolution of the Algarve delegation of the National Institute for Women was considered irresponsible
牛池湾纪律部队宿舍天台梯间起火 50人疏散 警列纵火调查
niú chí wān jì lǜ bù duì sù shě tiān tái tī jiān qǐ huǒ 5 0 rén shū sàn jǐng liè zòng huǒ diào chá
A fire broke out in the roof stairwell of the Niuchiwan Disciplined Forces dormitory, 50 people were evacuated, and the police arson investigation was conducted
逛游乐场与家人失散,5岁女童坠入路边深井大哭,男子..
guàng yóu lè chǎng yú jiā rén shī sàn , suì nǚ tóng zhuì rù lù biān shēn jǐng dà kū , nán zǐ . .
Separated from her family at a playground, the 5-year-old girl fell into a roadside well and cried, and the man...
太阳一出来，雾就散了。
Tàiyang yī chūlái, wù jiù sǎn le.
As the sun rose, the fog disappeared.
雾在十时左右开始散了。
Wù zài shí shí zuǒyòu kāishǐ sǎn le.
The fog began to disappear around ten o'clock.
我们沿着湖岸散步。
Wǒmen yánzhe hú àn sànbù.
We walk along the lakeside.
西班牙人最爱在晚上外出散散步、乘乘凉。
Xībānyárén zuì ài zài wǎnshang wàichū sànsànbù, chéng chéngliáng.
Spaniards love to stroll around in the evening cool.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 散 (sàn)?
Is 散 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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