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摩托车 (mó tuō chē) — motorcycle

Definition

Motorcycle — a powered two-wheeled vehicle. Use 摩托车 (not 自行车) whenever an engine is involved; 机动车 is the broader written category for any motor vehicle.

noun
motorcycle
Measure word · 辆, 部

Examples

  • 摩托车。
    Tā huā le hěn duō qián mǎi le yí liàng mó tuō chē.
    He spent a lot of money to buy a motorcycle.
  • 摩托车。
    Xīng qī tiān wǒ men qí mó tuō chē qù hǎi biān ba.
    Let's ride a motorcycle to the seaside on Sunday.
  • 摩托车。
    Zhè liàng mó tuō chē shì tā bà ba sòng gěi tā de shēng rì lǐ wù.
    This motorcycle is a birthday gift from his father.

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.

摩托motor
摩mó托tuō
车chēvehicle

摩托 transliterates motor, and 车 means vehicle, naming a motorbike.

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má摩mó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

摩 combines 手 (hand) with 麻; the hand part relates to the meaning, and 麻 gives the sound.

Open 摩 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
乇
乇tuō托tuō
Same sound today

托 is built from 手 (hand) and 乇, which gives the sound tuō.

Open 托 →

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 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Vehicles5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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