Chinese word

大陆

Pronunciation

Pinyindà lù

Meaning

  • nounmainland

Example

很多游客从香港到大陆旅游。hěn duō yóu kè cóng xiāng gǎng dào dà lù lǚ yóu

Many tourists travel from Hong Kong to the mainland.

Illustration for 大陆 (mainland)

More examples

公司在大陆设有办事处。gōng sī zài dà lù shè yǒu bàn shì chù

The company has an office on the mainland.

Core concept

A large stretch of land regarded as the home territory of a country or as one major division of the Earth.

Common phrases

  • 去大陆旅游qù dà lù lǚ yóu

    travel to the mainland

  • 在大陆工作zài dà lù gōng zuò

    work on the mainland

  • 大陆市场dà lù shì chǎng

    mainland market

  • 从大陆来cóng dà lù lái

    come from the mainland

Similar words

内地nèi dì: A country's inland area, often meaning China's area outside Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.
中国大陆zhōng guó dà lù: China's mainland territory, excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.
本土bén tǔ: The principal land area of a country or region, apart from islands and overseas territories.

Definition in Chinese

指国家或地区的本土或内陆地区，常用于指中国的内地（不包括港澳台），也可泛指广阔的陆地。zhǐ guó jiā huò dì qū de bén tǔ huò nèi lù dì qū cháng yòng yú zhǐ zhōng guó de nèi dì bù bāo kuò gǎng ào tái yě kě fàn zhǐ guǎng kuò de lù dì

Word origin

大陆 (dàlù, "mainland") joins 大 (dà, "large") with 陆 (lù, "land"), a transparent formation for a large land area that later developed more specific regional uses.

Usage tips

  • In everyday travel talk, mainland often contrasts with Hong Kong or Taiwan, while English mainland usually needs a clear island or regional context.

Other meanings

  • continentnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 大陆人dà lù rénmainlandernoun
  • 大陆性dà lù xìngcontinentaladjective
  • 大陆架dà lù jiàcontinental shelfnoun

Word lists with this word