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公交车 (gōng jiāo chē) — bus

Definition

公交车 means 'city/town bus' — public transit on a fixed route, usually shorter distance. Distinct from 汽车 (car) and 客车 (long-distance coach).

noun
bus
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • 公交车。
    Wǒ zuò gōng jiāo chē qù xué xiào.
    I take the bus to school.
  • 公交车。
    Zhè liàng gōng jiāo chē shì xīn de.
    This bus is new.
  • 公交车？
    Xià yí liàng gōng jiāo chē shén me shí hou lái?
    When will the next bus come?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

公交public transport
公gōngpublic交jiāotransport
偏正Modifier + head
车chēvehicle

“公交” means public transport and “车” means vehicle, so the word refers to a bus.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

Open 公 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →
Appears in
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