循 (xún): to follow, to adhere to, to abide by
循 (xún) is a Chinese character meaning “to follow.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 彳 (semantic) and 盾 (phonetic). It ranks #1728 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 循 step. Its radical form 彳 (step) appears in many related characters such as 很 (hěn, very), 得 (dé, to obtain), 往 (wǎng, to go (in a direction)).
Definitions
- to follow
- to adhere to
- to abide by
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 循 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 循
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遵循verb | zūn xún | to follow |
| 循规蹈矩phrase | xún guī dǎo jǔ | to follow the compass and go with the set square (idiom) |
| 循环系统noun | xún huán xì tǒng | circulatory system |
| 恶性循环noun | è xìng xún huán | vicious circle |
| 循序渐进phrase | xún xù jiàn jìn | in sequence, step by step (idiom) |
| 因循守旧phrase | yīn xún shǒu jiù | (idiom) to continue in the same old rut |
| 循循善诱phrase | xún xún shàn yòu | to guide patiently and systematically (idiom) |
| 循环赛 | xún huán sài | round-robin tournament |
| 循环使用 | xún huán shǐ yòng | recycle |
| 循环小数noun | xún huán xiǎo shù | recurring decimal |
| 循化撒拉族自治县 | xún huà sā lā zú zì zhì xiàn | Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, in Haidong City 海東市|海东市, Qinghai |
| 循环论证noun | xún huán lùn zhèng | circular argument |
| 循环经济adjective | xún huán jīng jì | circular economy |
| 良性循环noun | liáng xìng xún huán | virtuous cycle (i.e. positive feedback loop) |
| 循环性 | xún huán xìng | cyclical |
循 appears in 31 compound words: 61 as the first character, 10 as the last, and 29 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 循 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (9)
to proceed in an orderly way, step by step; to follow the established order; to make steady progress incrementally
to proceed in an orderly way, step by step; to follow the established order; to make steady progress incrementally
Example Sentences
循字由12笔画组成，结构很巧妙。
xún zì yóu bǐ huà zǔ chéng , jié gòu hěn qiǎo miào .
The character "循" consists of 12 strokes and features a remarkably ingenious structure.
广角镜/台南依循古礼 大东门城举行迎春礼
guǎng jiǎo jìng tái nán yī xún gǔ lǐ dà dōng mén chéng jǔ háng yíng chūn lǐ
Wide-angle lens/Tainan follows the ancient rites and holds a Spring Festival ceremony in Dadongmen City
科技与循环族群领涨 投信:美股获利动能续强
kē jì yǔ xún huán zú qún lǐng zhǎng tóu xìn : měi gǔ huò lì dòng néng xù qiáng
Technology and circulation groups led the rise Investment Trust: The profit momentum of US stocks continues to be strong
...完甩一下能改善前列腺健康吗?促进局部血液循环吗
. . . wán shuǎi yī xià néng gǎi shàn qián liè xiàn jiàn kāng ma ? cù jìn jú bù xiě yè xún huán ma
... Can a complete shake improve prostate health? Promote local blood circulation
黄友凤吁警遵循指示 勿以服装为由拒报案
huáng yǒu fèng xū jǐng zūn xún zhǐ shì wù yǐ fú zhuāng wéi yóu jù bào àn
Huang Youfeng called on the police to follow the instructions and not to refuse to report the case on the grounds of clothing
冬奥会|冰壶男子循环赛:中国队不敌加拿大队
dōng ào huì bīng hú nán zǐ xún huán sài : zhōng guó duì bù dí jiā ná dà duì
Winter Olympics|Curling Men's Round-robin Tournament: The Chinese team lost to the Canadian team
回答把我们带入了一个恶性循环。
Huídá bǎ wǒmen dài rù le yī gè èxìngxúnhuán.
The answer leads us to a vicious circle.
请遵循护士的指导。
Qǐng zūnxún hùshi de zhǐdǎo.
Please follow the nurse's directions.
重要的是要遵循严格的饮食控制。
Zhòngyào de shì yào zūnxún yángé de yǐnshí kòngzhì.
It's important to follow a strict diet.
根据习俗，新娘应该循规蹈矩。
Gēnjù xísú, xīnniáng yīnggāi xúnguīdǎojǔ.
According to custom, the bride should be compliant.
Character Family
彳 Radical Family — Characters sharing the step radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 循 (xún) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 循 have?
What is the radical of 循?
What are the components of 循?
What are common words containing 循?
What characters sound the same as 循 (xún)?
Is 循 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 循 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.