Chinese Conversation · Level 5
89 words
Chinese word
停
Pronunciation
Pinyintíng
Meaning
- verbstop
Example
雨太大了，公交车在路边停了。yǔ tài dà le gōng jiāo chē zài lù biān tíng le
The rain was too heavy, so the bus stopped by the side of the road.
More examples
电梯突然停了，大家很紧张。diàn tī tū rán tíng le dà jiā hěn jǐn zhāng
The elevator suddenly stopped, and everyone felt very nervous.
Core concept
A moving thing or ongoing action reaches a still point, or someone brings it to that point.
Common phrases
停下来tíng xià lái
stop
停车tíng chē
park
Similar words
停车tíng chē: To stop a vehicle and leave it in a chosen place.
停住tíng zhù: To stop temporarily and stay in that stopped state.
停下来tíng xià lái: To halt movement and remain at the same spot.
Definition in Chinese
（物体或动作）从运动状态变为静止，或使其不再继续进行。wù tǐ huò dòng zuò cóng yùn dòng zhuàng tài biàn wéi jìng zhǐ huò shǐ qí bú zài jì xù jìn xíng
Word origin
The character 停 (tíng, "stop") combines the person radical with 亭 (tíng, "pavilion"), a traditional stopping place, linking the word to staying rather than moving on.
Usage tips
- For vehicles, 停车 (tíng chē, "stop or park a vehicle") can describe both ending movement and leaving the vehicle in a place, so context determines the natural English choice.