运 yùn

To move, transport, or turn things along a path.

To ship or carry goods; luck, fate, or fortune in life. A walking path (辶) with clouds (云): goods and luck drift along like clouds.

Common Usage & Traps

  • 运动 (yùndòng) — sports / exercise / movement
  • 运气 (yùnqi) — luck
  • 运东西 (yùn dōngxi) — to transport things
  • 运好 运气好

    To say 'good luck', you need the full noun 运气, not just 运.

  • 做运动 运动

    运动 is both noun and verb; adding 做 is redundant and unnatural.

What is the difference between 运 and 远?

运 means transport or luck; 远 means far.

Both characters share the 辶 walking radical, but their right sides differ: 运 has 云 (cloud) and 远 has 元 (origin). 运 is about movement of goods or fortune, while 远 describes distance.
Dimension运远
Meaningtransport, luck, motionfar, distant
Right component云 (cloud)元 (origin)
Example运动 (sports)很远 (very far)

Can 运 be used alone as a word?

No, 运 is usually bound and needs a partner like 动 or 气.

In modern Mandarin, 运 rarely stands alone as a complete word. It appears in compounds such as 运动 (sports) or 运气 (luck). Using it by itself sounds incomplete.
DimensionNaturalAvoid
Word usage运动 (sports)运 (alone)
Meaningclear compound meaningambiguous or incomplete
Example sentence我喜欢运动。我喜欢运。

Appears in Stories 2 stories

《你喜欢看老电影吗?》 Do You Like Old Movies?
HSK 2 ~3 min read 224 chars
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In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.

  • B:因为我不喜欢 运动 ,所以这两个我都不喜欢。

《饥饿的深意》 The Hidden Meaning of Hunger
HSK 7 ~11 min read 1243 chars
Read story →

Why would a millionaire leave a table of lobster and wagyu untouched? This story explores the hidden rules of business dining and the true cost of staying alert.

  • 他说今年出口不好做, 运费 涨了三成,利润压到五个点以下。

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