TongTong
Sign in

转机 (zhuǎn jī) — to change planes (during travel); to take a turn for the better; to improve (as in a situation)

Definition

As a verb meaning 'to take a turn for the better,' 转机 focuses on a situation changing for the good, similar to 好转. For air travel, it specifically means 'to change planes' (转 + 飞机).

verb
to change planes (during travel)to take a turn for the betterto improve (as in a situation)

Examples

  • 转机。
    Wǒ yào zài běi jīng zhuǎn jī qù rì běn.
    I need to change planes in Beijing to change planes to go to Japan.
  • 转机，。
    Qíng kuàng zhōng yú zhuǎn jī le, dà jiā dōu hěn kāi xīn.
    The situation finally took a turn for the better, and everyone was very happy.
  • 转机。
    Qǐng bāng wǒ chá yí xià qù shàng hǎi zhuǎn jī de shí jiān.
    Please help me check the time for changing planes going to Shanghai.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

转zhuǎnchange/transfer
机jīplane/opportunity

转 expresses changing or transferring, and 机 points to the plane or opportunity, giving the sense of changing planes or turning for the better.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 轉; 转 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūcarriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān轉zhuǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 轉 combines 車, a carriage, with 專 as a sound part; the simplified 转 is a later shorthand.

Open 转 →

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
木木mùtree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ机jī
Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Air TravelChange & Process

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.