Chinese word

热气球

Pronunciation

Pinyinrè qì qiú

Meaning

  • nounhot air balloon

Example

我们去坐热气球吧。wǒ men qù zuò rè qì qiú ba

Let's go ride in a hot air balloon.

Illustration for 热气球 (hot air balloon)

More examples

清晨，热气球缓缓升空，吸引了很多观众。qīng chén rè qì qiú huán huǎn shēng kōng xī yǐn le hěn duō guān zhòng

Early in the morning, the hot air balloon slowly rose, attracting many spectators.

Core concept

A large heated-air envelope suspends a basket beneath it, lifting passengers slowly into the sky.

Common phrases

  • 乘坐热气球chéng zuò rè qì qiú

    take a hot air balloon ride

  • 热气球升空rè qì qiú shēng kōng

    hot air balloon ascent

  • 热气球节rè qì qiú jié

    hot air balloon festival

Similar words

气球qì qiú: A thin bag filled with air or gas for play, decoration, or floating.
氦气球hài qì qiú: A balloon filled with helium that rises and floats in the air.
飞机fēi jī: A winged aircraft with an engine for carrying people or goods over long distances.
直升机zhí shēng jī: An aircraft with rotating blades that takes off and lands straight up and down.

Definition in Chinese

通过加热使包囊内空气变轻，从而带着吊篮和乘客缓慢上升并在空中漂浮的球形飞行器。tōng guò jiā rè shǐ bāo náng nèi kōng qì biàn qīng cóng ér dài zhe diào lán hé chéng kè huǎn màn shàng shēng bìng zài kōng zhōng piāo fú de qiú xíng fēi xíng qì

Word origin

The compound 热 (rè, "hot") + 气 (qì, "air") + 球 (qiú, "ball") identifies a balloon made buoyant by hot air inside it.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, passenger verbs such as 坐 (zuò, "sit or ride"), 乘 (chéng, "ride"), and 搭 (dā, "take or board") sound natural with this noun, keeping the focus on riding rather than piloting.

Related words

  • 热气球节rè qì qiú jiéhot air balloon festivalnoun
  • 热气球飞行rè qì qiú fēi xínghot air balloon flightnoun
  • 热气球飞行员rè qì qiú fēi xíng yuánhot air balloon pilotnoun

Word lists with this word