地下隧道 (dì xià suì dào) — underground tunnel, subway tunnel; a passage built beneath the ground for transportation or utilities

Definition

A compound noun for a passage built entirely below ground — typically for trains, cars, or pedestrians. The literal meaning (地下 'underground' + 隧道 'tunnel') gives it away; pair with 条 or 座 as a classifier.

noun
underground tunnelsubway tunnela passage built beneath the ground for transportation or utilities
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 地下隧道。
    Zhè tiáo dì xià suì dào lián jiē le liǎng gè dì tiě zhàn.
    This underground tunnel connects two subway stations.
  • 地下隧道。
    Gōng rén men zhèng zài xiū jiàn yì tiáo xīn de dì xià suì dào.
    Workers are building a new underground tunnel.
  • 地下隧道。
    Chéng shì lǐ yǒu hěn duō dì xià suì dào gòng xíng rén shǐ yòng.
    There are many underground tunnels in the city for pedestrians to use.

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.

地下underground
地dìground下xiàbelow
偏正Modifier + head
隧道tunnel
隧suìtunnel道dàopassage
联合Side by side

地下 means below the ground, and 隧道 is a passage; together they describe a tunnel running beneath the surface.

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

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