Chinese word

拥塞

Pronunciation

Pinyinyōng sè

Meaning

  • adjectivecongested

Example

这条路拥塞，我们绕道走吧。zhè tiáo lù yōng sè wǒ men rào dào zǒu ba

This road is congested, so let's take a detour.

Illustration for 拥塞 (congested)

More examples

晚点导致车站拥塞。wán diǎn dǎo zhì chē zhàn yōng sè

The delay caused the station to become congested.

Core concept

A stream of traffic or people piles into one passage until the passage cannot carry movement smoothly.

Common phrases

  • 高峰时段拥塞gāo fēng shí duàn yōng sè

    congested during peak hours

  • 拥塞的车站yōng sè de chē zhàn

    congested station

Similar words

拥堵yōng dǔ: Crowded with vehicles or people, making traffic or movement along a route slow.
拥挤yōng jǐ: Containing so many people or things that the space feels tight and uncomfortable.

Definition in Chinese

任何道路、口岸或通道因人流或车流集中而出现阻塞、通行受限的情况。rèn hé dào lù kǒu àn huò tōng dào yīn rén liú huò chē liú jí zhōng ér chū xiàn zǔ sè tōng xíng shòu xiàn de qíng kuàng

Word origin

拥 (yōng, "crowd around") + 塞 (sè, "block") describes a crowd gathering so tightly that it seals or obstructs a route.

Usage tips

  • Unlike the narrower English association with traffic, Chinese uses this adjective for roads, ports, border crossings, and other routes where movement is restricted.

Other meanings

  • clogverb
  • jamverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word