运 yùn — to move; to transport; to use; to apply; fortune; luck
这批货物明天运到。Zhè pī huò wù míng tiān yùn dào.This shipment of goods will arrive tomorrow.
Common words: 运动 (yùn dòng)、幸运 (xìng yùn)、命运 (mìng yùn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to apply"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to apply", including 运 (yùn), 涂 (tú). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to apply" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 运 (yùn), 涂 (tú) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yùn, tú — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 运 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 运 yùnto move; to transport; to use; to apply; fortune; luckUseful words: 运动, 幸运
- 涂 túto smear; daub; (surname); to smear; daub; to apply (paint)Useful words: 糊涂, 涂抹
Common words for these 2 "to apply" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 运 (yùn) — so "to apply" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
运动yùn dòngto move; to exercise; sports; exercise幸运xìng yùnfortunate; lucky; good fortune; luck命运mìng yùnfate; destiny糊涂hú tumuddled; silly; confused涂抹tú mǒto paint; to smear; to apply (makeup etc); to doodle一塌糊涂yī tā hú tumuddled and completely collapsing (idiom); in an awful condition; complete shambles; a total mess
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 "to apply".
涂 tú — to smear; daub; (surname); to smear; daub; to apply (paint)
小朋友在画纸上涂上了五颜六色。Xiǎo péng you zài huà zhǐ shàng tú shàng le wǔ yán liù sè.The child painted the drawing paper in many colors.
Common words: 糊涂 (hú tu)、涂抹 (tú mǒ)、一塌糊涂 (yī tā hú tu)
All 2 characters
Open 运、涂 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.