Chinese word

海洋

Pronunciation

Pinyinhǎi yáng

Meaning

  • nounsea

Example

孩子们在海洋里游泳。hái zi men zài hǎi yáng lǐ yóu yǒng

The children swim in the sea.

Illustration for 海洋 (sea)

More examples

科学家研究海洋的生态系统。kē xué jiā yán jiū hǎi yáng de shēng tài xì tǒng

Scientists study the ocean's ecosystem.

Core concept

One vast salt-water system: deep, wide, and joined across the planet.

Common phrases

  • 海洋资源hǎi yáng zī yuán

    marine resources

  • 海洋生物hǎi yáng shēng wù

    marine life

  • 海洋污染hǎi yáng wū rǎn

    marine pollution

  • 保护海洋bǎo hù hǎi yáng

    protect the ocean

Similar words

海hǎi: Salt water along a coast, or the surrounding area, in a general sense.
大洋dà yáng: One of the world's main broad, deep, continuous bodies of salt water.
海域hǎi yù: A defined stretch of sea identified by a purpose, location, or other standard.
海面hǎi miàn: The part of the sea where the water is directly exposed to the air.

Definition in Chinese

覆盖地球表面大片的盐水连通水体，通常指大洋和相连的海域，强调面积大、深度深且连通性强。fù gài dì qiú biǎo miàn dà piàn de yán shuǐ lián tōng shuí tǐ tōng cháng zhǐ dà yáng hé xiāng lián de hǎi yù qiáng diào miàn jī dà shēn dù shēn qiě lián tōng xìng qiáng

Word origin

海 (hǎi, "sea") + 洋 (yáng, "ocean") forms a compound that emphasizes the scale and openness of the water rather than one small coastal area.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may use sea and ocean as separate everyday choices, but this Chinese noun can cover the broad marine system in formal descriptions and general reference.

Other meanings

  • oceannoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 海洋学hǎi yáng xuéoceanographynoun
  • 海洋生物学hǎi yáng shēng wù xuémarine biologynoun
  • 海洋资源hǎi yáng zī yuánmarine resourcesnoun

Word lists with this word