How to Write 暂 (zàn) — Meaning “Temporary / Brief”

Imagine a sun (日) that is suddenly cut off (斩), so its light only lasts for a short moment. This visual of a 'cut-short sun' helps you remember that 暂 means 'temporary' or 'brief'.

The top part 斩 must be written with the left side (车) slightly narrower and the right side (斤) balanced. A common mistake is making the 日 at the bottom too large; it should be compact and centered under the top component.

暂 (zàn) means 'temporary', while 㬎 (xiǎn) is an obscure character meaning 'bright' or is a variant of '显', and 晁 (cháo) is a surname or ancient name for morning. Visually, 暂 has 斩 on top, whereas 㬎 and 晁 have different upper parts (日+丝 and 日+兆).

暂 appears in common words like 暂时 (for the moment) and 暂停 (to pause). In daily life, you see it on signs like '暂停服务' (service suspended), and in media to indicate a short break. It's a practical HSK 5 character for describing temporary situations.

Common words containing 暂 include: 暂时 (zàn shí) — Temporary / For the moment; 暂停 (zàn tíng) — To pause / To suspend; 暂且 (zàn qiě) — For the time being / Provisionally.