Chinese word

运河

Pronunciation

Pinyinyùn hé

Meaning

  • nouncanal

Example

我们沿着运河散步。wǒ men yán zhe yùn hé sàn bù

We take a walk along the canal.

Illustration for 运河 (canal)

More examples

这条运河连接了两座城市，是重要的运输通道。zhè tiáo yùn hé lián jiē le liǎng zuò chéng shì shì zhòng yào de yùn shū tōng dào

This canal connects two cities and is an important transportation route.

Core concept

A long engineered water link that carries vessels and can also support the land around it.

Common phrases

  • 沿着运河yán zhe yùn hé

    along the canal

  • 运河航运yùn hé háng yùn

    canal shipping

  • 运河工程yùn hé gōng chéng

    canal construction

Similar words

河hé: A naturally flowing river with land on both sides.
江jiāng: A long, large river carrying a great deal of water.
湖hú: A wide inland area of water enclosed by land.
溪xī: A narrow, shallow mountain stream.

Definition in Chinese

人工开挖或改道形成的水道，主要为船舶通行和物资运输而设，也可用于灌溉、排水或防洪。rén gōng kāi wā huò gǎi dào xíng chéng de shuǐ dào zhǔ yào wèi chuán bó tōng xíng hé wù zī yùn shū ér shè yě kě yòng yú guàn gài pái shuǐ huò fáng hóng

Word origin

运 (yùn, "transport") + 河 (hé, "river") presents a river-shaped course whose main role is to move people or goods.

Usage tips

  • Canal names often remain part of place names in English, so the word may appear in maps and addresses even when no active shipping is visible.

Other meanings

  • waterwaynoun

Related words

  • 京杭大运河jīng háng dà yùn héBeijing-Hangzhou Grand Canalnoun
  • 运河口yùn hé kǒucanal mouthnoun
  • 运河沿岸yùn hé yán àncanal banksnoun

Word lists with this word