旅行社 (lǚ xíng shè) — travel agency

Definition

A company that sells and arranges trips — not the trip itself (旅程/旅途) and not the traveler (旅客).

noun
travel agency
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 旅行社
    Wǒ zài zhè jiā lǚ xíng shè dìng le jī piào.
    I booked a plane ticket at this travel agency.
  • 旅行社
    Nǐ rèn shi hǎo de lǚ xíng shè ma?
    Do you know any good travel agencies?
  • 旅行社
    Wǒ men tōng guò lǚ xíng shè ān pái le yí cì lǚ xíng.
    We arranged a trip through the travel agency.

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.

旅行travel
联合Coordinate
shèorganization

The idea of 旅行 (travel) combines with 社 (organization) to name an agency arranging travel.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

旅 combines 㫃, a flag, and 从, two people, to show troops or a brigade.

Open 旅 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • chì
  • chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

社 joins 示 (god; deity) and 土 (soil), so its shape is about the god of the land.

Open 社 →

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.