again; anew; afresh
HSK level
重新 is written with 22 strokes (重: 9, 新: 13). The animation replays automatically.
重新 (chóngxīn) is an adverb meaning 'again,' 'anew,' or 'afresh' — doing something over from the start, often because the first attempt failed or a change is needed: 重新开始 ('start over'), 重新写 ('rewrite').
English speakers should note that 重新 specifically implies redoing or renewing, not merely one more occurrence. For plain repetition ('read it again') the everyday word is 再 (zài) or 又 (yòu); 重新 adds the sense of a fresh restart or a redo that replaces the old result. It is read chóngxīn (with chóng, 'again'), not zhòng ('heavy').
The characters mean 'again-new.' It is neutral in register, common in both speech and writing, and frequently pairs with verbs of doing, arranging, and considering: 重新考虑 ('reconsider'), 重新安排 ('rearrange'), 重新做 ('redo').
Note: Neutral. Note the reading is chóngxīn (chóng = 'again'), not zhòng. It emphasizes starting over or redoing from a fresh beginning, not just one more repetition.
Character by character
Memory hook: 重 (again) + 新 (new): to do it again as new — start afresh.
这道题错了，你重新做一遍。
Zhè dào tí cuò le, nǐ chóngxīn zuò yí biàn.
This problem is wrong; do it over again.
spoken
我们可以重新开始吗？
Wǒmen kěyǐ chóngxīn kāishǐ ma?
Can we start over?
spoken
他决定重新考虑这个计划。
Tā juédìng chóngxīn kǎolǜ zhège jìhuà.
He decided to reconsider this plan.
neutral
会议时间需要重新安排。
Huìyì shíjiān xūyào chóngxīn ānpái.
The meeting time needs to be rescheduled.
written
重复 ('to repeat / repetition') means doing the same thing over redundantly (别重复 'don't repeat yourself'). 重新 means starting over afresh with intent to redo. 重复 is about sameness; 重新 is about a fresh restart.
从新 is an older/rarer variant; standard modern Chinese uses 重新. Stick with 重新 for 'anew / afresh.'
Acquire it by listening
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 重新 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.
