Discussion of 忽然 [hū rán] suddenly

Discussion of 忽然

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The emphasis of 忽然 is on the fact that the change is very “unexpected”. Its meaning is different from this adverb:
一下子 (一下子) [yi2 xia4 zi5] , (adv) in a short while; all at once
一下子 emphasises that an action or a state changes very fast. In most cases we cannot replace one with the other without changing the meaning of the sentence.

lisaC

Is there a difference between 忽然 and 突然？

Freddy89

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About the difference between 忽然 and 突然：

As specified in the entries, 忽然 is only an adverb, but 突然 can be both an adverb and an adjective.
E.g.1 他突然跳了下来，真危险！ [phr] He suddenly jumped down, which was really dangerous.
We can replace 突然 with 忽然 in the sentence above and there is no difference at all.

E.g.2 大家普遍反对这场突然的变革。 [phr] The crowd at large is opposed to this sudden change.
We cannot use 忽然 in e.g.2, because 忽然 is not an adjective.

lisaC

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