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人力车 (rén lì chē) — rickshaw (two-wheeled vehicle pulled by a person)

Definition

noun
rickshaw (two-wheeled vehicle pulled by a person)
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • ，人力车。
    Zài jiù shàng hǎi, rén lì chē shì yì zhǒng cháng jiàn de jiāo tōng gōng jù.
    In old Shanghai, rickshaws were a common means of transportation.
  • 人力车。
    Tā měi tiān lā zhe rén lì chē zǒu hěn yuǎn de lù.
    He pulls the rickshaw and walks a long way every day.
  • 人力车。
    Xiàn zài hěn shǎo néng kàn dào rén lì chē le.
    Nowadays you can rarely see rickshaws.

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.

人力human power
人rénhuman力lìpower
偏正Modifier + head
车chēvehicle

人力 gives human power, and 车 gives vehicle, making a rickshaw.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

Open 力 →

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
Vehicles

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