HSK · Level 24
135 words
Chinese word
沟
Pronunciation
Pinyingōu
Meaning
- nounditch
Example
路边有个沟，要小心。lù biān yǒu gè gōu yào xiǎo xīn
There's a ditch by the road, so be careful.
More examples
下雨后，路边的沟里积满了水，行人要绕行。xià yǔ hòu lù biān de gōu lǐ jī mǎn le shuǐ xíng rén yào rào xíng
After the rain, the roadside ditch was full of water, so pedestrians had to detour.
Core concept
A long, open groove in earth, stone, or concrete that guides water or separates nearby areas.
Common phrases
排水沟pái shuǐ gōu
drainage ditch
路边沟lù biān gōu
roadside ditch
沟里gōu lǐ
in the ditch
Similar words
排水沟pái shuǐ gōu: A drainage ditch built to collect and carry away rainwater or wastewater.
沟渠gōu qú: A man-made channel that gathers and carries surface water.
Definition in Chinese
指为排水或分隔而挖掘的狭长通道，多见于路边或田间，由土、石或混凝土构成，用于引导雨水或排水。zhǐ wèi pái shuǐ huò fēn gé ér wā jué de xiá cháng tōng dào duō jiàn yú lù biān huò tián jiān yóu tǔ shí huò hùn níng tǔ gòu chéng yòng yú yín dǎo yú shuǐ huò pái shuǐ
Word origin
In the traditional form 溝 (gōu, "ditch"), 氵 (shuǐ, "water") marks the meaning and 冓 (gòu, "structure") mainly supplies the sound, linking the written form to a water channel.
Usage tips
- English speakers may picture a covered gutter, but this word commonly suggests an open channel visible beside a road or across farmland.
Other meanings
- side ditchnoun
- drainage ditchnoun
Related words
- 沟通gōu tōngcommunicateverb
- 沟渠gōu qúdrainage channelnoun