突然 tū rán
“sudden; abrupt; unexpected”
adverbial adjective, adjectiveHSK 3 · 2021 list level 3
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
突然 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 862: 突然 tūrán — Level 3; official annotation 3 (形). PDF page 101
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 突然
突然 means "suddenly" or "all of a sudden". It is most often used as an adverb placed right before the verb, after the subject: 他/天/我 + 突然 + verb. It can also be an adjective meaning "abrupt, unexpected" after 很 or 太, as in 这件事很突然。
例句Example sentences
- 我们正在吃饭，突然电话响了。wǒ men zhèng zài chī fàn, tū rán diàn huà xiǎng le.We were eating when suddenly the phone rang.
- 他今天突然生病了，没来上课。tā jīn tiān tū rán shēng bìng le, méi lái shàng kè.He suddenly got sick today and didn't come to class.
- 这件事太突然了，我还没想好怎么办。zhè jiàn shì tài tū rán le, wǒ hái méi xiǎng hǎo zěn me bàn.This came too suddenly; I haven't decided what to do yet.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗他哭了突然。
✓他突然哭了。
突然 is an adverb and must come before the verb, not after it.
易混词Easily confused
突然vs忽然
忽然 also means "suddenly" and goes before the verb, but it is only an adverb — you cannot say 很忽然; use 很突然 when describing something as abrupt or unexpected.