Chinese word

开车

Pronunciation

Pinyinkāi chē

Meaning

  • verbdrive

Example

我刚学会开车。wǒ gāng xué huì kāi chē

I just learned to drive.

Illustration for 开车 (drive)

More examples

他每天开车上班。tā měi tiān kāi chē shàng bān

He drives to work every day.

Core concept

A person uses hands or controls to set a vehicle in motion and guide its travel.

Common phrases

  • 会开车huì kāi chē

    can drive

  • 不会开车bú huì kāi chē

    cannot drive

  • 开车上班kāi chē shàng bān

    drive to work

  • 开车回家kāi chē huí jiā

    drive home

Similar words

开kāi: Use controls to operate a vehicle or machine and set it in motion.
坐车zuò chē: Travel in a car as a passenger.
送sòng: Transport someone to the place they need to reach.

Definition in Chinese

用手或装置操作车辆，使汽车等机动车行驶。yòng shǒu huò zhuāng zhì cāo zuò chē liàng shǐ qì chē děng jī dòng chē xíng shǐ

Word origin

开 (kāi, "open or operate") + 车 (chē, "vehicle") forms a compact verb phrase for operating a vehicle and making it move.

Usage tips

  • The person behind the wheel is the subject of this verb, while a passenger is described as riding in a vehicle rather than doing the driving.

Other meanings

  • go for a driveverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word