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列车 (liè chē) — train

Definition

列车 refers to the train itself (the vehicle and its service). 铁路 is the railway system — the tracks and infrastructure — not the train.

noun
train
Measure word · 列

Examples

  • 列车。
    Zhè tàng liè chē shì cóng běi jīng dào shàng hǎi de.
    This train goes from Beijing to Shanghai.
  • 列车。
    liè chē Piào yǐ jīng mài wán le.
    The train tickets are already sold out.
  • 列车。
    Wǒ cóng lái méi zuò guò zhè me màn de liè chē.
    I've never taken such a slow train.

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.

列lièrow
车chēvehicle

列 suggests a row or series, and 车 means vehicle, together referring to a train.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

列 combines 歹, drawn as skeletal remains, and 刀, a knife, to depict tearing apart.

Open 列 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 5Trains & Transit5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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