Chinese word

干洗

Pronunciation

Pinyingān xǐ

Meaning

  • verbdry-clean

Example

我把衬衫干洗了。wǒ bǎ chèn shān gān xǐ le

I had my shirt dry-cleaned.

Illustration for 干洗 (dry-clean)

More examples

这件衬衫要干洗，不能机洗。zhè jiàn chèn shān yào gān xǐ bù néng jī xǐ

This shirt needs to be dry-cleaned and cannot be machine-washed.

Core concept

A solvent does the washing instead of water, making it easier to clean delicate fabric without shrinking or distorting it.

Common phrases

  • 干洗衬衫gān xǐ chèn shān

    dry-clean a shirt

  • 干洗西装gān xǐ xī zhuāng

    dry-clean a suit

  • 干洗大衣gān xǐ dà yī

    dry-clean a coat

Similar words

水洗shuí xǐ: Cleans clothing by washing it in water with detergent.
送洗sòng xǐ: Brings clothing to a laundry shop for the staff to wash.

Definition in Chinese

用有机溶剂代替水对衣物进行清洗，以保护易缩水或易变形的面料并去除油性污渍。yòng yǒu jī róng jì dài tì shuǐ duì yī wù jìn xíng qīng xǐ yǐ bǎo hù yì suō shuǐ huò yì biàn xíng de miàn liào bìng qù chú yóu xìng wū zì

Word origin

干洗 (gānxǐ, "dry-clean") is a transparent compound in which 干 (gān, "dry") contrasts with water washing and 洗 (xǐ, "wash") identifies the cleaning process.

Usage tips

  • English often describes this as arranging a service, while Chinese can use the compact verb directly for the action or service involving a garment.

Other meanings

  • dry cleaningnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 干洗店gān xǐ diàndry-cleaning shopnoun
  • 干洗服务gān xǐ fú wùdry-cleaning servicenoun

Word lists with this word