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verb HSK 5
shuā xīn
to refresh · to update · to renew · to break (a record)

Meaning

刷新 literally means 'to brush new' and refers to making something fresh or updated. In modern usage, it most commonly means to refresh a webpage or screen, to update information, or to break/set a new record. The word combines the physical action of brushing (刷) with the concept of newness (新).

Usage

Very commonly used in digital contexts for refreshing web pages, apps, or screens. Also frequently appears in news and sports contexts when discussing breaking records. In tech contexts, you'll often hear 刷新页面 (refresh the page). When talking about records, it means to surpass or break a previous record.

Examples

  1. 01
    网页加载不出来，你试试刷新一下。
    Wǎng yè jiā zài bù chū lái, nǐ shì shi shuā xīn yī xià.
    The webpage won't load, try refreshing it.
  2. 02
    他在这次比赛中刷新了世界纪录。
    Tā zài zhè cì bǐ sài zhōng shuā xīn le shì jiè jì lù.
    He broke the world record in this competition.

Characters

Measure words

  • 次cì刷新一次页面

Common collocations

  • 刷新页面
    shuā xīn yè miàn
    refresh the page
  • 刷新纪录
    shuā xīn jì lù
    break a record
  • 刷新率
    shuā xīn lǜ
    refresh rate
  • 自动刷新
    zì dòng shuā xīn
    auto-refresh

Origin

Originally from the physical action of brushing something to make it look new again. The computing sense emerged as technology developed, using the metaphor of 'brushing clean' for updating displayed information.

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