Usage note
突然用来表示事情发生的非常快，出乎意料。
tūrán yòng lái biǎoshì shìqì gànghuò fàngsuǒ yùyì。
突然 is used to indicate something happens very quickly and unexpectedly.
Context note
突然常用于描述日常生活中的意外情况，比如突然下雨或突然停电。
tūrán cháng yòng wéiyú míngzhuāng shēnghuó zhōng de yìwài kuàngtái, bǐrú tūrán xiàyǔ huò tūrán dǎdian。
突然 is often used to describe unexpected situations in daily life, such as sudden rain or a sudden power outage.
5 examples
突然开始下雨了。
tū rán kāi shǐ xià yǔ le。
It suddenly started raining.
他突然想起忘记带钥匙了。
tā tū rán xiǎng qǐ wàng jì dài yào shi le。
He suddenly remembered he had forgotten to bring his keys.
妈妈突然决定去旅行。
mā ma tū rán jué dìng qù lǚ xíng。
Mom suddenly decided to go on a trip.
他突然听到门外有声音。
tā tū rán tīng dào mén wài yǒu shēng yīn。
He suddenly heard a sound outside the door.
突然停电了，家里一片漆黑。
tū rán tíng diàn le， jiā lǐ yí piàn qī hēi。
The power suddenly went out, and it was pitch black at home.
5 mini stories
一天下午，他正在写作业，突然听到窗外有鸟叫声。
yì tiān xià wǔ， tā zhèng zài xiě zuò yè， tū rán tīng dào chuāng wài yǒu niǎo jiào shēng。
One afternoon, while he was doing his homework, he suddenly heard bird calls from outside the window.
晚上，她正要睡觉，突然想起明天的考试。
wǎn shàng， tā zhèng yào shuì jiào， tū rán xiǎng qǐ míng tiān de kǎo shì。
That night, just as she was about to go to sleep, she suddenly remembered her exam tomorrow.
他正在看电视，突然停电了。
tā zhèng zài kàn diàn shì， tū rán tíng diàn le。
He was watching TV when the power suddenly went out.
她正要出门，突然下起了大雨。
tā zhèng yào chū mén， tū rán xià qǐ le dà yǔ。
She was about to go out when it suddenly started raining heavily.
他正在看书，突然听到敲门声。
tā zhèng zài kàn shū， tū rán tīng dào qiāo mén shēng。
He was reading a book when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.
Mini dialogue
下雨了
A
我们快跑，突然下雨了！
Wǒmen kuài pǎo, tūrán xià yǔ le!
Let's run, it suddenly started raining!
B
是啊，天气变得好快。
Shì a, tiānqì biàn de hǎo kuài.
Yeah, the weather changed so fast.
找小猫
A
我的小猫突然不见了。
Wǒ de xiǎo māo tūrán bú jiàn le.
My kitten suddenly disappeared.
B
别着急，我们一起找找。
Bié zháojí, wǒmen yìqǐ zhǎo zhǎo.
Don't worry, let's look for it together.
Related words and contrasts
similar
忽然
hūrán
suddenly
忽然 and 突然 both mean 'suddenly' and are often interchangeable.
opposite
慢慢
màn man
slowly
慢慢 means slowly, the opposite of 突然 which means suddenly.