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HSK 4

遍

time (repeated action); all over

measure wordneutral
遍
biàn4th tone

HSK level

1
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Pinyin
biàn
Part of speech
measure word
Level
HSK 4
Strokes
12
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 遍

遍 is written with 12 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 遍 mean?

遍 (biàn) is primarily a verbal measure word that counts how many times an action is carried out from beginning to end.

It differs sharply from the English word 'time': while 次 (cì) also means 'time,' 遍 specifically stresses a complete run-through of the whole thing — reading a book cover to cover, playing a song start to finish, explaining something all the way again. Say 看一遍 and you mean reading the entire text once through, not just glancing at it once.

遍 can also work as an adverb or bound morpheme meaning 'all over' or 'everywhere,' as in 遍地 (all over the ground) or 走遍 (to travel all over). English has no single word that captures the 'complete cycle' sense, so learners often over-use 次 where 遍 is more precise.

Note: Neutral and used in both speech and writing. As an adverb meaning 'all over,' it appears in slightly more literary set phrases like 遍地都是.

Memory hook: The 辶 walking radical hints at going all the way through — one full pass, one 遍.

Example sentences

这本书我看了三遍。

Zhè běn shū wǒ kàn le sān biàn.

I've read this book three times through.

neutral

请你再说一遍，好吗？

Qǐng nǐ zài shuō yī biàn, hǎo ma?

Could you say it one more time, please?

spoken, polite

他走遍了中国的每个省。

Tā zǒubiàn le Zhōngguó de měi ge shěng.

He has traveled all over every province of China.

written

老师把课文念了一遍。

Lǎoshī bǎ kèwén niàn le yī biàn.

The teacher read the text through once.

neutral

Common phrases with 遍

一遍yī biànonce (through)
再说一遍zài shuō yī biànsay it once more
遍地biàndìall over the ground; everywhere
走遍zǒubiànto travel all over
看了一遍kàn le yī biànread through once

Synonyms

次cì

次 counts occurrences of an action without implying completeness — 去了三次 (went three times). Use 遍 only when the action runs through something whole, like reading or watching from start to finish.

回huí

回 is a colloquial equivalent of 次, common in northern speech: 去过一回. It counts occurrences, not full cycles, so it cannot replace 遍 in 读一遍.

Don't confuse 遍 with

便biàn

便 looks almost identical but means 'convenient' or 'then'; it is not a measure word. 遍 has the 辶 walking radical on the left; 便 has the 亻 person radical.

次cì

Both translate as 'time,' but 次 counts plain repetitions while 遍 counts complete run-throughs. 说了三次 = said it three times; 说了三遍 = said the whole thing through three times.

FAQ

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