载客 (zài kè) — to carry passengers (of a vehicle)

Definition

载客 means a vehicle 'carries passengers' — it focuses on the vehicle's capacity or action, not the passengers' experience. Often paired with capacity words like 最多 / 可以 / 能.

verb
to carry passengers (of a vehicle)

Examples

  • 载客。
    Zhè liàng gōng jiāo chē zuì duō zài kè wǔ shí rén.
    This bus can carry up to fifty passengers.
  • 。
    Nà liàng chū zū chē zài le sān gè kè jiù kāi zǒu le.
    That taxi picked up three passengers and drove off.
  • 。
    Dì tiě měi jié chē xiāng kě yǐ zǎi hěn duō kè.
    Each subway car can carry many passengers.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

载zǎicarry
客kèpassenger

The sense of 载 carrying joins with 客 passengers to mean carrying passengers.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 載; 载 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūchariot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢦏
𢦏𢦏載zài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 載 has 車, a chariot, and 𢦏 gives the sound; 载 is its simplified form.

Open 载 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè客kè
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 客, 宀 is a roof and 各 gives the sound; the character meant a guest.

Open 客 →

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