黑车 (hēi chē) — illegal taxi; unlicensed motor vehicle (used for unauthorized passenger transport)

Definition

An unlicensed, unofficial taxi — 'black' here means illegal/underground, not the color. Often used for cars that pick up passengers without a permit; risky and uninsured.

noun
illegal taxiunlicensed motor vehicle (used for unauthorized passenger transport)
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • 黑车，。
    Tā wèi le shěng qián zuò le hēi chē, jié guǒ bèi sī jī duō shōu le qián.
    He took an illegal taxi to save money, and ended up being overcharged by the driver.
  • 黑车。
    Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài jiā dà lì dù dǎ jī hēi chē yùn yíng.
    The government is intensifying efforts to crack down on unlicensed vehicle operations.
  • 黑车，。
    Zuò hēi chē bù jǐn bù ān quán, hái méi yǒu bǎo xiǎn.
    Riding an unlicensed taxi is not only unsafe but also not insured.

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.

黑hēiillegal
车chēvehicle

黑 gives illegal, 车 gives vehicle; together they mean an unlicensed taxi or vehicle.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 黑 seems to come from drawing a head marked with dots, usually read as facial tattoos.

Open 黑 →

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 →

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