展 zhǎn — to use; to spread out; to postpone; to unfold
美术馆正在举办画展。Měi shù guǎn zhèng zài jǔ bàn huà zhǎn.The art museum is holding a painting exhibition.
Common words: 发展 (fā zhǎn)、进展 (jìn zhǎn)、展开 (zhǎn kāi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to postpone"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to postpone", including 展 (zhǎn), 缓 (huǎn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to postpone" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 展 (zhǎn), 缓 (huǎn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhǎn, huǎn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 展 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 展 zhǎnto use; to spread out; to postpone; to unfoldUseful words: 发展, 进展
- 缓 huǎnslow; sluggish; gradual; to postponeUseful words: 缓解, 缓慢
Common words for these 2 "to postpone" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 展 (zhǎn) — so "to postpone" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
发展fā zhǎndevelopment; growth; to develop; to grow进展jìn zhǎnto make headway; to make progress展开zhǎn kāito unfold; to spread out; to open up; to launch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
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 postpone".
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)
All 2 characters
Open 展、缓 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.