序 (xù): order, sequence
序 (xù) is a Chinese character meaning “order, sequence.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 广 (semantic) and 予 (phonetic). It ranks #836 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 序 wide. Its radical form 广 (shelter) appears in many related characters such as 床 (chuáng, bed), 店 (diàn, shop), 广 (guǎng, wide, broad).
Definitions
- order, sequence
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 序 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 序
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 程序noun | chéng xù | procedures | 5 |
| 秩序noun | zhì xù | order | 6 |
| 顺序noun | shùn xù | sequence | 4 |
| 有序adjective | yǒu xù | regular | 6 |
| 工序noun | gōng xù | working procedure | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 序列 | xù liè | sequence |
| 次序 | cì xù | sequence |
| 排序 | pái xù | to sort |
| 程序员 | chéng xù yuán | programmer |
| 序幕 | xù mù | prologue |
| 序曲 | xù qǔ | overture |
| 序号 | xù hào | ordinal number |
| 无序 | wú xù | disorderly |
| 井然有序 | jǐng rán yǒu xù | everything clear and in good order (idiom) |
| 循序渐进 | xún xù jiàn jìn | in sequence, step by step (idiom) |
| 序言 | xù yán | preface |
| 秩序井然 | zhì xù jǐng rán | in perfect order |
| 子程序 | zǐ chéng xù | subroutine |
| 序数 | xù shù | ordinal number |
| 语序 | yǔ xù | word order |
序 appears in 79 compound words: 14 as the first character, 56 as the last, and 30 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 序 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
to proceed in an orderly way, step by step; to follow the established order; to make steady progress incrementally
Example Sentences
请按照顺序排队，不要插队，维护公共秩序。
Qǐng ànzhào shùnxù páiduì, búyào chāduì, wéihù gōnggòng zhìxù.
Please line up in order; don't cut in line and maintain public order.
...dna检查有影响吗?哺乳不会改变自身基因序列吗
. . . d n a jiǎn chá yǒu yǐng xiǎng ma ? bǔ rǔ bù huì gǎi biàn zì shēn jī yīn xù liè ma
... Does DNA testing make a difference? Doesn't breastfeeding change its own gene sequence?
...dna检查有影响吗?激素波动会改变DNA序列吗
. . . d n a jiǎn chá yǒu yǐng xiǎng ma ? jī sù bō dòng huì gǎi biàn D N A xù liè ma
... Does DNA testing make a difference? Do hormone fluctuations change DNA sequences?
...接管两运河码头 称拟诉诸国内及国际法律程序
. . . jiē guǎn liǎng yùn hé mǎ tóu chèn nǐ sù zhū guó nèi jí guó jì fǎ lǜ chéng xù
... Takeover of the two canal terminals said it intends to resort to domestic and international legal proceedings
海纳百川》台湾在半导体新秩序下的再定位(鲁云湘)
hǎi nà bǎi chuān tái wān zài bàn dǎo tǐ xīn zhì xù xià de zài dìng wèi ( lǔ yún 湘 )
Taiwan's repositioning under the new semiconductor order (Lu Yunxiang)
谱写春日序曲!明城墙遗址公园梅花绽放
pǔ xiě chūn rì xù qū ! míng chéng qiáng yí zhǐ gōng yuán méi huā zhàn fàng
Compose a spring prelude! Plum Blossoms Bloom in Ming City Wall Ruins Park
你能把这清单按字母顺序排列吗？
Nǐ néng bǎ zhè qīngdān àn zìmǔ shùnxù páiliè ma?
Could you rearrange this list so it's in alphabetical order?
英国人很尊重法序和秩序。
Yīngguórén hěn zūnzhòng fǎ xù hé zhìxù.
The British have a lot of respect for law and order.
我编译这个程序有些困难。
Wǒ biānyì zhège chéngxù yǒuxiē kùnnan.
I'm having some problems compiling this software.
这个程序缺陷满多。
Zhège chéngxù quēxiàn mǎn duō.
This process has a lot of inconveniences.
Character Family
广 Radical Family — Characters sharing the shelter radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 序 (xù) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 序 and 野?
How many strokes does 序 have?
What is the radical of 序?
What are the components of 序?
What are common words containing 序?
What characters sound the same as 序 (xù)?
Is 序 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 序 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.