物流 (wù liú) — logistics; distribution (especially in business… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

物流 is the business/industry sense of 'logistics' — the flow, storage, and delivery of goods (e.g. e-commerce, supply chains). 后勤 is a narrower military or organizational support concept; 供应链 is the full chain of suppliers and processes.

noun

logisticsdistribution (especially in business, supply chain, or e-commerce contexts)

Examples

物流。
Diàn zǐ shāng wù de wù liú shì chéng gōng de guān jiàn.
Logistics is the key to e-commerce success.
物流。
Tā men zhèng zài yōu huà wù liú liú chéng.
They are optimizing the logistics process.
物流。
Xīn de wù liú zhōng xīn jiāng zài xià ge yuè qǐ yòng.
The new logistics center will open next month.

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.

物 names goods and 流 names flow, so the word denotes the movement and distribution of goods.

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.

牛勿物

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

勿

勿wù物wù

Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

㐬

㐬㐬流liú

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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