陈 chén — arrange; exhibit; narrate; tell; old; stale
博物馆里陈列着许多文物。Bó wù guǎn lǐ chén liè zhe xǔ duō wén wù.Many cultural relics are displayed in the museum.
Common words: 陈述 (chén shù)、陈旧 (chén jiù)、新陈代谢 (xīn chén dài xiè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "narrate"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "narrate", including 陈 (chén), 叙 (xù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "narrate" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 陈 (chén), 叙 (xù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chén, xù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 陈 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 陈 chénarrange; exhibit; narrate; tell; old; staleUseful words: 陈述, 陈旧
- 叙 xùnarrate; abbreviation for SyriaUseful words: 叙述, 叙事
Common words for these 2 "narrate" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 陈 (chén) — so "narrate" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
陈述chén shùto state; to declare陈旧chén jiùold-fashioned; out of date; obsolete; antiquated新陈代谢xīn chén dài xièmetabolism (biology); the new replaces the old (idiom)叙述xù shùto relate (a story or information); to tell or talk about; to recount; narration叙事xù shìto narrate; to recount; narrative面叙miàn xùto talk face-to-face
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "narrate".
叙 xù — narrate; abbreviation for Syria
多年不见的老友坐在一起叙旧。Duō nián bú jiàn de lǎo yǒu zuò zài yì qǐ xù jiù.Old friends who had not met for years sat together reminiscing.
Common words: 叙述 (xù shù)、叙事 (xù shì)、面叙 (miàn xù)
All 2 characters
Open 陈、叙 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.