Chinese word

电

Pronunciation

Pinyindiàn

Meaning

  • nounpower

Example

手电筒还有 电 吗？shǒu diàn tǒng hái yǒu diàn ma

Does the flashlight still have power?

Illustration for 电 (power)

More examples

手机没电，要充电。shǒu jī méi diàn yào chōng diàn

The cellphone has no power and needs charging.

Core concept

A hidden force moving through wires or stored in a battery to produce light, heat, or motion.

Common phrases

  • 电话diàn huà

    telephone

  • 充电chōng diàn

    charge

  • 没电méi diàn

    have no power

Definition in Chinese

自然界的雷或人为产生的电力，可以使物体发光、发热或运转的看不见的能量。zì rán jiè de léi huò rén wéi chǎn shēng de diàn lì ké yǐ shǐ wù tǐ fā guāng fā rè huò yùn zhuǎn de kàn bú jiàn de néng liàng

Word origin

The older form of the character pictured lightning beneath rain, connecting the word with the natural force that people later learned to generate and use.

Usage tips

  • The same everyday word covers power from an outlet and energy left in a battery, which helps explain why questions about a device's remaining charge use this word.

Related words

Word lists with this word