Chinese word

列车

Pronunciation

Pinyinliè chē

Meaning

  • nountrain

Example

这趟列车开往北京。zhè tàng liè chē kāi wǎng běi jīng

This train is bound for Beijing.

Illustration for 列车 (train)

More examples

我们明天打算乘坐列车去上海。wǒ men míng tiān dǎ suàn chéng zuò liè chē qù shàng hǎi

We plan to take the train to Shanghai tomorrow.

Core concept

A linked set of rail cars that runs as one scheduled service along a route, carrying passengers or freight.

Common phrases

  • 乘坐列车chéng zuò liè chē

    ride a train

  • 列车晚点liè chē wán diǎn

    train is late

  • 列车到达liè chē dào dá

    train arrives

Similar words

火车huǒ chē: A railway train powered by steam or electricity and used to carry passengers or goods.
汽车qì chē: A road vehicle powered by an engine or electricity, usually carrying one person or a small group.
高铁gāo tiě: A passenger train designed to travel at high speed.

Definition in Chinese

由若干车厢连接组成，在铁道线路上按时刻运行、承担旅客或货物运输任务的车辆编组yóu ruò gān chē xiāng lián jiē zǔ chéng zài tiě dào xiàn lù shàng àn shí kè yùn xíng chéng dān lǚ kè huò huò wù yùn shū rèn wù de chē liàng biān zǔ

Word origin

列 (liè, "row") + 车 (chē, "vehicle") forms 列车 (lièchē, "train"), presenting the vehicles as a line of cars moving together.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, 趟 (tàng, "trip") often counts a train as a scheduled service, so the classifier focuses on its journey rather than on one vehicle.

Other meanings

  • express trainnoun
  • sleeper trainnoun
  • long-distance trainnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word