Chinese word

湖

Pronunciation

Pinyinhú

Meaning

  • nounlake

Example

我们去湖边散步吧。wǒ men qù hú biān sàn bù ba

Let's go for a walk by the lake.

Illustration for 湖 (lake)

More examples

孩子们在湖边玩耍。hái zi men zài hú biān wán shuǎ

The children are playing by the lake.

Core concept

A wide sheet of water held inside the land, large enough to shape the surrounding view.

Common phrases

  • 在湖边zài hú biān

    by the lake

  • 去湖边qù hú biān

    go to the lake

Similar words

河hé: A long, flowing natural channel of water.
池chí: A small, often shallow body of water, usually on land or made by people.
海hǎi: A vast body of salt water.

Definition in Chinese

被陆地包围、面积较大并多为淡水的水体，常用于指湖泊。bèi lù dì bāo wéi miàn jī jiào dà bìng duō wèi dàn shuǐ de shuí tǐ cháng yòng yú zhǐ hú pō

Word origin

湖 (hú, "lake") combines the water marker 氵 (shuǐ, "water") with 胡 (hú, "Hu"), which mainly supplies its pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • In scenery descriptions, 一片湖 (yī piàn hú, "a stretch of lake") presents a lake as a broad expanse, while 一个湖 (yí gè hú, "a lake") simply counts one lake.

Opposites

Related words

  • 湖边hú biānlakesidenoun
  • 湖面hú miànlake surfacenoun

Word lists with this word