客流 (kè liú) — passenger flow, customer flow (the number of pe… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

客流 measures how many people pass through a place (a station, mall, attraction) — used for crowd size, not for describing individual travelers. Compare 旅客 (a single traveler/passenger) and 客运 (the transport service itself).

noun

passenger flowcustomer flow (the number of people passing through a location)

Examples

客流。
Dì tiě zhàn de kè liú zài zǎo gāo fēng tè bié dà.
The passenger flow at subway stations is especially heavy during the morning rush hour.
客流。
Shāng chǎng tōng guò cù xiāo huó dòng lái zēng jiā kè liú.
Malls use promotions to increase customer flow.
，客流。
Jǐng qū xū yào hé lǐ guī huà, bì miǎn kè liú guò dà dǎo zhì yōng dǔ.
Scenic spots need reasonable planning to avoid excessive visitor flow.

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.

客kèpassenger

The flow of passengers or customers.

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.

宀各客

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.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

㐬

㐬㐬流liú

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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