Chinese word

污水

Pronunciation

Pinyinwū shuǐ

Meaning

  • nounwastewater

Example

厨房里的污水流进下水道。chú fáng lǐ de wū shuǐ liú jìn xià shuǐ dào

The wastewater in the kitchen flows into the sewer.

Illustration for 污水 (wastewater)

More examples

工厂非法排放污水，污染了河流。gōng chǎng fēi fǎ pái fàng wū shuǐ wū rǎn le hé liú

The factory illegally discharged wastewater, polluting the river.

Core concept

Water carrying dirt or pollutants away from homes, kitchens, or factories for drainage or treatment.

Common phrases

  • 污水处理wū shuí chú lǐ

    wastewater treatment

  • 污水排放wū shuǐ pái fàng

    wastewater discharge

  • 污水处理厂wū shuǐ chú lí chǎng

    wastewater treatment plant

Similar words

废水fèi shuǐ: Used water from homes or factories that may contain pollutants and needs treatment.
下水xià shuǐ: Water collected from homes and streets and carried through sewers, including rainwater.
排水pái shuǐ: Unwanted water released from a building or piece of equipment.
污泥wū ní: Mud-like solid matter left after wastewater treatment.

Definition in Chinese

指被污染或混入杂质的水，通常指生活或工业排出的脏水以及含有污染物的排水。zhǐ bèi wū rǎn huò hùn rù zá zhì dì shuǐ tōng cháng zhǐ shēng huó huò gōng yè pái chū de zàng shuǐ yǐ jí hán yǒu wū rǎn wù de pái shuǐ

Word origin

污 (wū, "dirty or polluted") modifies 水 (shuǐ, "water"), so the compound focuses on the water's contaminated condition rather than on the place where it comes from.

Usage tips

  • English normally treats this kind of material as a mass noun, so a quantity is measured with phrases such as "a load" or "a stream" rather than a plural ending.

Other meanings

  • drainagenoun
  • sewagenoun

Opposites

  • 清水qīng shuǐclean waternoun
  • 净水jìng shuǐpurified waternoun

Related words

  • 污水处理wū shuí chú lǐwastewater treatmentnoun
  • 污水处理厂wū shuǐ chú lí chǎngwastewater treatment plantnoun
  • 污水排放wū shuǐ pái fàngwastewater dischargenoun

Word lists with this word