Chinese word

公车

Pronunciation

Pinyingōng chē

Meaning

  • nounbus

Example

我们坐公车去公园吧。wǒ men zuò gōng chē qù gōng yuán ba

Let's take the bus to the park.

Illustration for 公车 (bus)

More examples

早高峰时，很多人挤不上公车。zǎo gāo fēng shí hěn duō rén jǐ bú shàng gōng chē

During the morning rush hour, many people cannot squeeze onto the bus.

Core concept

A shared road vehicle that follows a regular city route and carries passengers between stops.

Common phrases

  • 乘坐公车chéng zuò gōng chē

    take the bus

  • 在公车站zài gōng chē zhàn

    at the bus stop

  • 错过公车cuò guò gōng chē

    miss the bus

Similar words

公交车gōng jiāo chē: A city bus that runs on a set route and picks up and drops off passengers at stops.
公共汽车gōng gòng qì chē: A large public bus that carries many people along city routes.
公交gōng jiāo: Public city transport that runs along regular routes and serves passengers at stops.

Definition in Chinese

在城市道路上按固定线路行驶，为市民提供短途客运服务的公共汽车。zài chéng shì dào lù shàng àn gù dìng xiàn lù xíng shǐ wèi shì mín tí gōng duǎn tú kè yùn fú wù de gōng gòng qì chē

Word origin

公 (gōng, "public") + 车 (chē, "vehicle") describes transport provided for general public use rather than a private vehicle.

Usage tips

  • Usage varies by region: this shorter form is especially common in Taiwan, while mainland speakers commonly use a longer term for the same service.

Other meanings

  • city busnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 公车路线gōng chē lù xiànbus routenoun
  • 公车时刻表gōng chē shí kè biǎobus schedulenoun

Word lists with this word