Chinese word

车祸

Pronunciation

Pinyinchē huò

Meaning

  • nouncar accident

Example

今天路口发生了车祸，交通堵了很久。jīn tiān lù kǒu fā shēng le chē huò jiāo tōng dǔ le hěn jiǔ

There was a car accident at the intersection today, and traffic was backed up for a long time.

Illustration for 车祸 (car accident)

More examples

超速和疲劳驾驶可能酿成车祸。chāo sù hé pí láo jià shǐ kě néng niàng chéng chē huò

Speeding and driving while tired can cause a car accident.

Core concept

A road vehicle is at the center of a sudden damaging event, whether it collides, overturns, or causes harm to people or property.

Common phrases

  • 酿成车祸niàng chéng chē huò

    cause a car accident

  • 因车祸受伤yīn chē huò shòu shāng

    be injured in a car accident

Similar words

交通事故jiāo tōng shì gù: A traffic accident involving vehicles or pedestrians that causes injury, death, or property damage.
事故shì gù: An unexpected event that causes injury, harm, or damage to people or property.

Definition in Chinese

指车辆在道路上发生碰撞、翻车、撞击行人或撞上障碍物，造成伤亡或财产损失的交通事故。zhǐ chē liàng zài dào lù shàng fā shēng pèng zhuàng fān chē zhuàng jī xíng rén huò zhuàng shàng zhàng ài wù zào chéng shāng wáng huò cái chán sǔn shī de jiāo tōng shì gù

Word origin

The compound 车 (chē, "vehicle") + 祸 (huò, "misfortune") forms a compact name for a vehicle-related misfortune.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may associate car only with a private automobile, but this word also covers accidents involving buses, trucks, and other road vehicles.

Other meanings

  • accidentnoun

Word lists with this word