Writing
通 (tōng) — how to say "to pass through" in Chinese
通
To pass through, to communicate
verb · adjective · verbal measure word
1. to pass through, to be open; to communicate, to connectHSK 3.0 · level 4
verb
2. open, unobstructed; understanding, knowledgeableHSK 3.0 · level 4
adjective
3. a phone call (measure word)HSK 3.0 · level 7-9
verbal measure word
How to use it
Counts actions, not things, and goes after the verb together with the number.
他打了一通电话。
tā dǎ le yī tōng diàn huà
He made a phone call.
Character composition
通
to pass through
Radicals / Keys
辵
Walk
#162 · chuò · 7 strokes
Collocations
通电话
tōng diàn huà
to communicate by phone
Examples
我们通过电话联系。
We communicate by phone.
这条路通北京。
This road leads to Beijing.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say "to pass through" in Chinese?
"to pass through" in Chinese is 通 (tōng).
通 meaning in English
通 (tōng) means "To pass through, to communicate".
How is 通 pronounced?
It is pronounced tōng (written as tong). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
Tong in Chinese character
It is written 通 and has 10 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 通?
通 is on the HSK 3.0 level 4 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
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Grammar with 通
并 — combining verbs with “and”
Verb 1 + 并 (bìng) + Verb 2
通过 — through, by means of
通过 (tōngguò) + Means / Method + Verb
来 — linking method to purpose
(用 (yòng) / 通过 (tōngguò)) + Method + 来 (lái) + Purpose
通常 vs 时常 — usually vs often
通常 (tōngcháng) / 时常 (shícháng) + Verb/Adj.
日趋 — increasingly, more and more
Subj. + 日趋 (rìqū) + Verb/Adj.
通通 vs 唯独 — all vs only
Subj. + 通通 (tōngtōng) / 统统 (tǒngtǒng) + Verb (all without exception); 唯 (wéi) / 唯独 (wéidú) / 唯有 (wéiyǒu) + Noun / Subj. + Verb (only, solely)