缓 huǎn — slow; sluggish; gradual; to postpone
听了他的解释，我的心情缓和了一些。Tīng le tā de jiě shì, wǒ de xīn qíng huǎn hé le yì xiē.After hearing his explanation, my mood eased a little.
Common words: 缓解 (huǎn jiě)、缓慢 (huǎn màn)、缓和 (huǎn hé)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "sluggish"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "sluggish", including 缓 (huǎn), 蠢 (chǔn), 滞 (zhì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "sluggish" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 缓 (huǎn), 蠢 (chǔn), 滞 (zhì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span huǎn, chǔn, zhì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 缓 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 缓 huǎnslow; sluggish; gradual; to postponeUseful words: 缓解, 缓慢
- 蠢 chǔnblunt; stupid; to wiggle (of worms); sluggishUseful words: 愚蠢, 蠢人
- 滞 zhìsluggishUseful words: 滞留, 停滞
Common words for these 3 "sluggish" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 缓 (huǎn) — so "sluggish" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
缓解huǎn jiěto bring relief; to alleviate (a crisis); to dull (a pain)缓慢huǎn mànslow; unhurried; sluggish缓和huǎn héto ease (tension); to alleviate; to moderate; to allay愚蠢yú chǔnsilly; stupid蠢人chǔn rénfool; imbecile可蠢kě chǔn(dialect) unbearable; embarrassing滞留zhì liú(of a person) to remain in (a place) (due to circumstances that prevent one leaving); to be stranded; (of sth that would typically dissipate, e.g. floodwater, pollutants) to remain; to linger停滞tíng zhìstagnation; at a standstill; bogged down滞后zhì hòuto lag behind
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 3 ways to say "sluggish".
蠢 chǔn — blunt; stupid; to wiggle (of worms); sluggish
做事不动脑筋，难免会做出蠢事。Zuò shì bú dòng nǎo jīn, nán miǎn huì zuò chū chǔn shì.Acting without thinking inevitably leads to foolish deeds.
Common words: 愚蠢 (yú chǔn)、蠢人 (chǔn rén)、可蠢 (kě chǔn)
滞 zhì — sluggish
因为大雪，许多旅客滞留在了机场。Yīn wèi dà xuě, xǔ duō lǚ kè zhì liú zài le jī chǎng.Because of the heavy snow, many passengers were stranded at the airport.
Common words: 滞留 (zhì liú)、停滞 (tíng zhì)、滞后 (zhì hòu)
All 3 characters
Open 缓、蠢、滞 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.