Chinese word

卫星

Pronunciation

Pinyinwèi xīng

Meaning

  • nounsatellite

Example

卫星绕着地球运行。wèi xīng rào zhe dì qiú yùn xíng

A satellite orbits Earth.

Illustration for 卫星 (satellite)

More examples

科学家成功地发射了一颗卫星。kē xué jiā chéng gōng dì fā shè le yì kē wèi xīng

The scientists successfully launched a satellite.

Core concept

A smaller natural body or spacecraft that stays in orbit around a larger body.

Common phrases

  • 发射卫星fā shè wèi xīng

    launch a satellite

  • 卫星轨道wèi xīng guǐ dào

    satellite orbit

  • 地球的卫星dì qiú de wèi xīng

    Earth's satellite

Similar words

人造卫星rén zào wèi xīng: A spacecraft made by people to orbit a celestial body for observation, communication, or other work.
行星xíng xīng: A large celestial body that travels around a star.

Definition in Chinese

围绕主天体运行并随其运动的天体或人造航天器，包括天然卫星（如月球）与人造卫星。wéi rào zhǔ tiān tǐ yùn xíng bìng suí qí yùn dòng de tiān tǐ huò rén zào háng tiān qì bāo kuò tiān rán wèi xīng rú yuè qiú yǔ rén zào wèi xīng

Word origin

卫 (wèi, "guard") + 星 (xīng, "star") forms a compound suggesting a star-like body that accompanies and guards a larger celestial body.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the bare noun often sounds technical, so ordinary conversation usually names a specific object instead of using this broad scientific term.

Related words

  • 卫星发射wèi xīng fā shèsatellite launchnoun
  • 卫星轨道wèi xīng guǐ dàosatellite orbitnoun

Word lists with this word