Chinese word

方向盘

Pronunciation

Pinyinfāng xiàng pán

Meaning

  • nounsteering wheel

Example

停车时请握好方向盘。tíng chē shí qǐng wò hǎo fāng xiàng pán

Please hold the steering wheel firmly when parking.

Illustration for 方向盘 (steering wheel)

More examples

行驶中应双手握紧方向盘，以免发生危险。xíng shǐ zhōng yīng shuāng shǒu wò jǐn fāng xiàng pán yí miǎn fā shēng wēi xiǎn

While driving, hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands to avoid danger.

Core concept

The circular control that connects hand movement with the direction of a moving vehicle or machine.

Common phrases

  • 双手握紧方向盘shuāng shǒu wò jǐn fāng xiàng pán

    hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands

  • 转动方向盘zhuǎn dòng fāng xiàng pán

    turn the steering wheel

  • 调整方向盘tiáo zhěng fāng xiàng pán

    adjust the steering wheel

Similar words

转向盘zhuǎn xiàng pán: The technical name for a vehicle's round steering control operated by hand.
车把chē bǎ: A horizontal handle used to guide a bicycle or motorcycle.

Definition in Chinese

用以控制车辆或机械行进方向的圆形操纵装置，驾驶时直接用手旋转以调整运动方向。yòng yǐ kòng zhì chē liàng huò jī xiè xíng jìn fāng xiàng de yuán xíng cāo zòng zhuāng zhì jià shǐ shí zhí jiē yòng shǒu xuán zhuǎn yǐ tiáo zhěng yùn dòng fāng xiàng

Word origin

方向盘 (fāngxiàngpán, "steering wheel") joins 方 (fāng, "direction") + 向 (xiàng, "toward") with 盘 (pán, "disk"), linking the part's purpose with its circular form.

Usage tips

  • In figurative Chinese, this concrete noun can represent control over a situation, so a non-driving context may refer to leadership rather than an actual vehicle part.

Related words

  • 方向盘锁fāng xiàng pán suǒsteering wheel locknoun
  • 方向盘套fāng xiàng pán tàosteering wheel covernoun

Word lists with this word