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快车 (kuài chē) — express train or bus; fast car, high-speed vehicle

Definition

Refers to any fast vehicle — an express train or bus that skips stops, or a high-speed car. Pairs naturally with 慢车 ('slow train') as the contrast pair. 辆 is the standard measure word.

noun
express train or busfast carhigh-speed vehicle
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • 快车。
    Wǒ zuò kuài chē qù běi jīng bǐ zuò màn chē kuài liǎng gè xiǎo shí.
    Taking the express train to Beijing is two hours faster than taking the slow train.
  • 快车。
    Zhè liàng kuài chē kě yǐ kāi dào měi xiǎo shí liǎng bǎi gōng lǐ.
    This fast car can reach 200 kilometers per hour.
  • 快车，。
    kuài chē Bǐ màn chē kuài, dàn piào yě guì.
    The express train is faster than the slow train, but the ticket is more expensive too.

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.

快kuàifast
车chēvehicle

快 gives the sense of speed, and 车 is a vehicle, so the word means a fast or express vehicle.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài快kuài
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

快 pairs the left part 忄 (full form 心, the heart) with the right part 夬, which gives the sound.

Open 快 →

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
Vehicles

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