Chinese word

船只

Pronunciation

Pinyinchuán zhī

Meaning

  • nounship

Example

港口停着很多船只。gáng kǒu tíng zhe hěn duō chuán zhī

Many ships are docked at the port.

Illustration for 船只 (ship)

More examples

夜间，小型船只不易被发现。yè jiān xiǎo xíng chuán zhī bú yì bèi fā xiàn

At night, small ships are hard to spot.

Core concept

A formal umbrella for ships, viewed as a group or type rather than one identified vessel.

Common phrases

  • 小型船只xiǎo xíng chuán zhī

    small ship

  • 船只搁浅chuán zhī gē qiǎn

    ship runs aground

  • 船只检修chuán zhī jiǎn xiū

    ship inspection and repair

Similar words

船chuán: A general noun for an individual boat or ship traveling on water.
船舶chuán bó: A somewhat formal noun for ships as a whole, especially in legal documents and reports.

Definition in Chinese

作为书面语的总称，用以指若干艘船舶或各种类型的船，通常不指单一具体艘船。zuò wéi shū miàn yǔ de zǒng chēng yòng yǐ zhǐ ruò gān sōu chuán bó huò gè zhǒng lèi xíng de chuán tōng cháng bù zhǐ dān yí jù tǐ sōu chuán

Word origin

船 (chuán, "boat") + 只 (zhī, "classifier") forms a collective noun for boats or ships, especially when their number is not stated.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this written-style noun is less natural for one specific vessel, while ordinary speech usually uses a simpler noun or a counting phrase.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word