顺

The Chinese character 顺 (shùn) is composed of two parts: the radical 氵(shuǐ), which represents water, and the phonetic component 寸 (cùn), which represents a unit of measurement. The character 顺 originally meant "to follow the flow of water," and it has since taken on the extended meanings of "to obey," "to comply with," and "to be in accordance with."The radical 氵(shuǐ) is one of the most common radicals in Chinese characters, and it is used to represent words related to water, such as 河 (hé, river), 海 (hǎi, sea), and 雨 (yǔ, rain). The phonetic component 寸 (cùn) is also a common radical, and it is used to represent words related to measurement, such as 尺 (chǐ, foot) and 寸 (cùn, inch).The combination of the radical 氵(shuǐ) and the phonetic component 寸 (cùn) creates the character 顺 (shùn), which has the meaning of "to follow the flow of water." This meaning is based on the idea that water always flows downhill, and that it is therefore easy to follow its course. The character 顺 has since taken on the extended meanings of "to obey," "to comply with," and "to be in accordance with."For example, the phrase 顺从 (shùncóng) means "to obey," while the phrase 顺应 (shùnyìng) means "to comply with." The character 顺 can also be used to describe something that is in accordance with nature or the natural order of things. For example, the phrase 顺其自然 (shùn qí zìrán) means "to let things take their natural course."The character 顺 (shùn) is a versatile character that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is an important character to learn for HSK learners, as it is used in many common words and phrases.