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顺便shùn biànconveniently

HSK 4word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

顺便 (shùn biàn) means "in passing" or "while you're at it." It describes doing one extra thing because you are already doing something else, as in 顺便买水 (to buy water while you are out). People use it in requests to friends, like asking someone going to the store or post office to take care of one more small thing.

What does 顺便 mean?

  1. 1.

    convenientlyadverb

  2. 2.

    in passingadverb

What do the characters in 顺便 mean?

  • 顺along
  • 便convenient

How do you use 顺便?

顺便 goes before the verb of the extra action: 你去超市的时候顺便买水.

What are some examples of 顺便 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 5

    你去超市的时候，顺便帮我买点水果。

    Nǐ qù chāoshì de shíhou, shùnbiàn bāng wǒ mǎi diǎn shuǐguǒ.

    When you go to the supermarket, please buy me some fruit while you're there.

  2. HSK 5

    我下班回家，顺便去看了看奶奶。

    Wǒ xiàbān huí jiā, shùnbiàn qù kàn le kàn nǎinai.

    On my way home from work, I dropped by to see Grandma.

  3. HSK 5

    你出去的时候顺便把门关好。

    Nǐ chūqù de shíhou shùnbiàn bǎ mén guānhǎo.

    Close the door properly on your way out.

How is 顺便 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    我要去邮局寄信。

    Wǒ yào qù yóujú jì xìn.

    I'm going to the post office to mail a letter.

  2. Speaker B:

    太好了，你顺便帮我也寄一封吧。

    Tài hǎo le, nǐ shùnbiàn bāng wǒ yě jì yì fēng ba.

    Great, could you mail one for me too while you're there.

  3. Speaker A:

    好的，信在哪儿？

    Hǎo de, xìn zài nǎr?

    Sure, where is the letter?

  4. Speaker B:

    在桌子上。邮局五点关门，你现在去吧。

    Zài zhuōzi shang. Yóujú wǔ diǎn guānmén, nǐ xiànzài qù ba.

    It's on the table. The post office closes at five, so go now.

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.