Chinese word

拖车

Pronunciation

Pinyintuō chē

Meaning

  • nountow truck

Example

车坏在路边了，叫来了拖车。chē huài zài lù biān le jiào lái le tuō chē

The car broke down by the side of the road, so a tow truck was called.

Illustration for 拖车 (tow truck)

More examples

他在小区发现车子不见了，收到了拖车通知。tā zài xiǎo qū fā xiàn chē zi bú jiàn le shōu dào le tuō chē tōng zhī

He noticed that his car was missing from his residential complex and received a towing notice.

Core concept

One road vehicle pulls another, whether the word refers to the towing vehicle or the unit being pulled.

Common phrases

  • 收到拖车通知shōu dào tuō chē tōng zhī

    receive a towing notice

  • 拖车服务tuō chē fú wù

    tow truck service

Similar words

挂车guà chē: A cargo trailer connects to a truck or tractor and has no driving cab of its own.
拖挂车tuō guà chē: A long tractor-trailer carries heavy loads after being connected to a tractor unit.
救援车jiù yuán chē: A vehicle sent to accident or breakdown scenes to recover and transport vehicles.
货车huò chē: A commercial truck carries goods or merchandise over roads.

Definition in Chinese

专门用于在道路上牵引不能行驶或停放不当的车辆，并将其送往维修点或安全地带的车辆。zhuān mén yòng yú zài dào lù shàng qiān yǐn bù néng xíng shǐ huò tíng fàng bú dàng de chē liàng bìng jiāng qí sòng wǎng wéi xiū diǎn huò ān quán dì dài de chē liàng

Word origin

拖 (tuō, "drag or pull") + 车 (chē, "vehicle") forms a compound centered on moving one vehicle with another, covering both the pulling unit and the unit being pulled.

Usage tips

  • As a countable vehicle noun, it uses 辆 (liàng, "vehicle classifier"), rather than a measure word for an abstract service.

Other meanings

  • trailernoun

Related words

  • 拖车服务tuō chē fú wùtow truck servicenoun
  • 拖车费tuō chē fèitowing chargenoun

Word lists with this word