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航运 (háng yùn) — shipping (by sea), marine transport

Definition

航运 refers specifically to commercial water transport (shipping by sea/river). 货运 is broader (any freight transport, including land and air); 船舶 is the industry itself or the fleet of vessels, not the activity.

noun
shipping (by sea)marine transport

Examples

  • 航运。
    Zhè tiáo háng yùn lù xiàn fēi cháng fán máng.
    This shipping route is very busy.
  • 航运。
    háng yùn Gōng sī tuī chū le xīn de fú wù.
    The shipping company launched a new service.
  • 航运。
    háng yùn Shì gù kě néng dǎo zhì huò wù yán chí.
    A shipping accident may cause cargo delays.

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.

航hángnavigation
运yùntransport

航 (navigation) and 运 (transport) combine to mean transport by sea.

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
舟舟zhōuboat
Sound part声符shēngfú
亢
亢kàng航háng
Same sound today

航 shows a boat with 舟, and 亢 gives the character its sound.

Open 航 →

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 運; 运 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòmotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn運yùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 運 combines 辵, meaning motion, with 軍 to give the sound; the simplified 运 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 运 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Boats & Water Travel

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