HSK · Level 77
45 words
Chinese word
旋涡
Pronunciation
Pinyinxuán wō
Meaning
- nounwhirlpool
Example
河里出现了旋涡，很危险。hé lǐ chū xiàn le xuán wō hěn wēi xiǎn
A whirlpool has formed in the river, and it is very dangerous.
More examples
研究者用染料观察到水中形成了旋涡。yán jiū zhě yòng rǎn liào guān chá dào shuǐ zhōng xíng chéng le xuán wō
Researchers observed a whirlpool forming in the water using dye.
Core concept
A force at the center gathers surrounding movement into a tightening circular flow.
Common phrases
海面形成旋涡hǎi miàn xíng chéng xuán wō
a whirlpool forms on the sea surface
掉入旋涡diào rù xuán wō
fall into a whirlpool
被旋涡吸入bèi xuán wō xī rù
be sucked into a whirlpool
Similar words
漩涡xuán wō: A swirling body of water that draws water toward its center.
涡流wō liú: A flowing stream of water or air that moves in circles with swirling eddies.
湍流tuān liú: A turbulent flow in which speed and direction change suddenly, creating many small eddies.
Definition in Chinese
水中或水面上因流动而形成的旋转水流，向中心吸入并绕中心转动，通常指危险的漩涡，也可引申为混乱或纠纷的核心。shuǐ zhōng huò shuǐ miàn shàng yīn liú dòng ér xíng chéng de xuán zhuǎn shuǐ liú xiàng zhōng xīn xī rù bìng rào zhōng xīn zhuǎn dòng tōng cháng zhǐ wēi xiǎn de xuán wō yě kě yǐn shēn wèi hùn luàn huò jiū fēn de hé xīn
Word origin
The compound combines 旋 (xuán, "rotate") + 涡 (wō, "swirling water") to name water that turns around and pulls toward the center.
Usage tips
- When the surrounding noun is an issue, scandal, or dispute, the word usually describes a figurative situation rather than water, making the wider sentence important for interpretation.
Other meanings
- vortexnoun
Related words
- 旋涡效应xuán wō xiào yìngvortex effectnoun
- 旋涡中心xuán wō zhōng xīncenter of a whirlpoolnoun