Chinese word

帆

Pronunciation

Pinyinfān

Meaning

  • nounsail

Example

那艘船的帆坏了。nà sōu chuán de fān huài le

The sail on that ship is broken.

Illustration for 帆 (sail)

More examples

清晨，渔船扬帆起航，驶向大海。qīng chén yú chuán yáng fān qǐ háng shǐ xiàng dà hǎi

Early in the morning, the fishing boat raised its sail and set sail for the open sea.

Core concept

A cloth wing on a boat fills with wind and pushes the boat onward.

Common phrases

  • 扬帆起航yáng fān qǐ háng

    raise the sail and set sail

  • 收帆shōu fān

    furl the sail

  • 帆船fān chuán

    sailboat

Similar words

帆船fān chuán: A sailing boat that travels with the help of wind-filled sails.
风帆fēng fān: A wind-catching sail used to propel a boat or small vehicle.
帆布fān bù: A tough, heavy fabric suitable for making sails, tents, and similar goods.

Definition in Chinese

船上用来借助风力使船前进的布或其他材料制成的装置，通常张在桅杆上以接风并推动船只。chuán shàng yòng lái jiè zhù fēng lì shǐ chuán qián jìn de bù huò qí tā cái liào zhì chéng de zhuāng zhì tōng cháng zhāng zài wéi gān shàng yǐ jiē fēng bìng tuī dòng chuán zhī

Word origin

The character 帆 (fān, "sail") combines 巾 (jīn, "cloth"), which identifies the cloth structure, with 凡 (fán, "ordinary"), which provides the pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • English can use sail for the activity of traveling by boat, but 帆 (fān, "sail") names only the boat's wind-catching equipment in Chinese.

Related words

Word lists with this word