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机动车 (jī dòng chē) — motor vehicle

Definition

Official/legal term for 'motor vehicle' — broader than 汽车, which refers specifically to a car. More formal than 车辆 (any vehicle) and includes motorcycles (摩托车) and trucks.

noun
motor vehicle
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • 机动车。
    Xiàn zài hěn duō chéng shì xiàn zhì jī dòng chē shàng lù.
    Nowadays many cities restrict motor vehicles from going on the road.
  • 机动车。
    Tā huā le hěn duō qián mǎi jī dòng chē.
    He spent a lot of money to buy a motor vehicle.
  • 机动车。
    jī dòng chē Tài duō huì zào chéng kōng qì wū rǎn.
    Too many motor vehicles cause air pollution.

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.

机动motorized
机jīengine动dòngmove
主谓Subject + predicate
车chēvehicle

The vehicle 车 is motorized because 机, an engine, and 动, moving, form 机动.

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
木木mùtree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ机jī
Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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 6

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