liúchuán: 流传 - To Spread, Circulate, Hand Down

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• Summary: Learn the meaning of 流传 (liúchuán), a key HSK 5 Chinese word used to describe how stories, news, culture, and ideas spread, circulate, or are handed down. This page breaks down its characters, cultural significance, and practical usage with 10+ example sentences. Understand the crucial difference between 流传 (liúchuán) and 传播 (chuánbō) to avoid common mistakes and speak more like a native.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): liúchuán
• Part of Speech: Verb
• HSK Level: 5
• Concise Definition: To spread, circulate, or be handed down (typically for intangible things like stories, ideas, or news).
• In a Nutshell: 流传 (liúchuán) paints a picture of something flowing naturally through a community or across generations. Think of a timeless story that everyone in a village knows, a popular song that gets passed around, or a piece of folklore that has been told for centuries. It captures the organic movement of information and culture.

• 流 (liú): This character's primary meaning is “to flow,” like a river (河流 - héliú) or a stream. It provides the sense of continuous, natural movement.
• 传 (chuán): This character means “to pass on,” “to transmit,” or “to hand down.” Think of a teacher passing knowledge to a student or passing an object from one person to another.

When combined, 流传 (liúchuán) literally means “to flow and pass on.” This beautiful imagery perfectly describes how abstract things like legends, customs, and reputations move through society over time and space.

流传 (liúchuán) is deeply embedded in the Chinese appreciation for history, continuity, and shared heritage. It’s not just about information “spreading”; it's about culture being kept alive and passed on. Many aspects of Chinese identity—from famous poems and philosophical ideas to traditional medicine recipes and martial arts techniques—are valued because they have been 流传 (liúchuán) for thousands of years. A useful comparison is to distinguish it from the modern Western concept of “going viral.”

• “Going viral” suggests an extremely rapid, often short-lived, and digitally-driven spread. It's about immediate, massive exposure.
• 流传 (liúchuán), on the other hand, can be fast (like a rumor), but it carries a much stronger connotation of endurance and historical depth. A story that has 流传 for 500 years has proven its cultural value and staying power. It connects the present generation to the past in a tangible way.

This reflects a cultural value placed on things that can withstand the test of time, forming a continuous thread that binds a community or a nation together.

流传 (liúchuán) is a versatile word used in various modern contexts, from ancient history to online gossip.

• For Culture, Legends, and History: This is its most classic usage. It describes how folklore, poems, art, and traditions are passed down.
  • e.g., “This legend has been handed down for generations.”
• For News and Rumors: In the digital age, 流传 is frequently used to describe how news, information, or rumors circulate online or within a community. It implies an organic spread from person to person.
  • e.g., “A rumor started circulating in the office.”
• For Reputation and Fame: It can be used to talk about how a person's name or their deeds become widely known.
  • e.g., “His heroic story spread among the people.”

Its connotation is generally neutral; the value (positive or negative) comes from what is being spread. A heroic deed that 流传 is positive, while a malicious rumor that 流传 is negative.

• Example 1:
  • 这个关于长城的传说已经在民间流传了数百年。
  • Pinyin: Zhège guānyú Chángchéng de chuánshuō yǐjīng zài mínjiān liúchuán le shù bǎi nián.
  • English: This legend about the Great Wall has been circulating among the people for hundreds of years.
  • Analysis: A classic example showing 流传 used for folklore and history over a long period.
• Example 2:
  • 他的英雄事迹在人民群众中广为流传。
  • Pinyin: Tā de yīngxióng shìjì zài rénmín qúnzhòng zhōng guǎngwéi liúchuán.
  • English: His heroic deeds are widely spread among the masses.
  • Analysis: Here, “广为” (guǎngwéi) means “widely,” a common adverb used with 流传 to emphasize the scale of the spread.
• Example 3:
  • 最近，一个关于公司要裁员的谣言在办公室里流传开来。
  • Pinyin: Zuìjìn, yíge guānyú gōngsī yào cáiyuán de yáoyán zài bàngōngshì lǐ liúchuán kāilái.
  • English: Recently, a rumor about the company planning layoffs started to spread in the office.
  • Analysis: This shows 流传 used for modern, informal information (a rumor). The phrase “流传开来” (liúchuán kāilái) emphasizes the beginning and expansion of the spread.
• Example 4:
  • 这首民歌在当地流传甚广。
  • Pinyin: Zhè shǒu míngē zài dāngdì liúchuán shèn guǎng.
  • English: This folk song is very widely circulated in the local area.
  • Analysis: “甚广” (shèn guǎng) is a more formal way of saying “very wide” and is often paired with 流传.
• Example 5:
  • 这门手艺是祖祖辈辈流传下来的。
  • Pinyin: Zhè mén shǒuyì shì zǔzǔbèibèi liúchuán xiàlái de.
  • English: This craft has been handed down through the generations.
  • Analysis: The directional complement “下来” (xiàlái) emphasizes the transmission from the past down to the present.
• Example 6:
  • 这条假新闻在社交媒体上迅速流传。
  • Pinyin: Zhè tiáo jiǎ xīnwén zài shèjiāo méitǐ shàng xùnsù liúchuán.
  • English: This piece of fake news spread rapidly on social media.
  • Analysis: Shows the use of 流传 for digital information. “迅速” (xùnsù - rapidly) describes the speed.
• Example 7:
  • “不到黄河心不死”这个说法一直流传至今。
  • Pinyin: “Bú dào Huánghé xīn bù sǐ” zhège shuōfǎ yìzhí liúchuán zhìjīn.
  • English: The saying, “One won't give up until they reach the Yellow River,” has been passed down to this day.
  • Analysis: 流传至今 (liúchuán zhìjīn) is a common phrase meaning “passed down to the present day.”
• Example 8:
  • 据说这幅画是从明朝流传下来的珍品。
  • Pinyin: Jùshuō zhè fú huà shì cóng Míngcháo liúchuán xiàlái de zhēnpǐn.
  • English: It is said that this painting is a treasure handed down from the Ming Dynasty.
  • Analysis: Here, 流传 is applied to a physical object (a painting) that carries cultural and historical value.
• Example 9:
  • 这种习俗在我的家乡已经不流传了。
  • Pinyin: Zhè zhǒng xísú zài wǒ de jiāxiāng yǐjīng bù liúchuán le.
  • English: This custom is no longer practiced (lit: no longer circulates) in my hometown.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates the negative form, indicating a break in tradition.
• Example 10:
  • 他的名字，连同他的故事，将永远流传下去。
  • Pinyin: Tā de míngzì, liántóng tā de gùshì, jiāng yǒngyuǎn liúchuán xiàqù.
  • English: His name, along with his story, will be passed on forever.
  • Analysis: The directional complement “下去” (xiàqù) emphasizes continuation down into the future.

The most common point of confusion for learners is the difference between 流传 (liúchuán) and 传播 (chuánbō). Both can be translated as “to spread.”

• 流传 (liúchuán): Implies a more natural, organic, and often slower spread. It has a sense of “flowing” through a population or “being passed down” through time. It's perfect for stories, culture, and rumors.
• 传播 (chuánbō): Is more active and technical. It means “to disseminate,” “to propagate,” or “to transmit.” It's often used for things that are actively broadcast or spread by a specific medium. Think of media, disease, or scientific knowledge.

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: 电视每天都在流传新闻。(Diànshì měitiān dōu zài liúchuán xīnwén.)
• Why it's wrong: A television station actively broadcasts or disseminates news. The action is intentional and one-directional. 流传 implies a more multi-directional, organic flow.
• Correct: 电视每天都在传播新闻。(Diànshì měitiān dōu zài chuánbō xīnwén.) - The TV broadcasts news every day.
• Correct: 这个新闻在大家口中流传开来。(Zhège xīnwén zài dàjiā kǒu zhōng liúchuán kāilái.) - This news began to circulate by word of mouth.

False Friend Alert: Don't equate 流传 with the English word “spread” in all its uses. You can “spread butter” or “spread your arms,” but you cannot 流传 butter or 流传 your arms. 流传 is almost exclusively for intangible things like information, culture, and reputation.

• 传播 (chuánbō) - To disseminate, to propagate. A more active and technical term for spreading information, often via a medium like TV or radio.
• 传说 (chuánshuō) - A legend or folklore. This is the type of thing that is often the subject of 流传.
• 流行 (liúxíng) - To be popular or fashionable. 流行 describes what is popular now, while 流传 can describe something that has spread over a long time.
• 谣言 (yáoyán) - A rumor or piece of gossip. A common type of information that can 流传 quickly.
• 流言 (liúyán) - Literally “flowing words,” a synonym for rumor. The character 流 directly links it to 流传.
• 继承 (jìchéng) - To inherit. This is more formal and often refers to tangible assets (money, property) or official titles, but can also be used for inheriting cultural heritage.
• 散布 (sànbù) - To spread or disseminate, but often with a negative connotation, such as intentionally 散布谣言 (spreading rumors). It's more deliberate than 流传.
• 代代相传 (dài dài xiāng chuán) - “To pass on from generation to generation.” An idiom that is a more descriptive and formal way of expressing the meaning of 流传 when used in a historical context.