Chinese word

闸

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhá

Meaning

  • nounfloodgate

Example

河道的闸晚上关闭，防止涨水。hé dào de zhá wǎn shàng guān bì fáng zhǐ zháng shuǐ

The floodgate in the river channel closes at night to prevent flooding.

Illustration for 闸 (floodgate)

More examples

船舶通过船闸时，需要先开闸，然后才能放行。chuán bó tōng guò chuán zhá shí xū yào xiān kāi zhá rán hòu cái néng fàng xíng

When a ship passes through a ship lock, the floodgate must be opened before the ship can pass.

Core concept

A movable barrier across a waterway that holds back water and releases it to regulate flow and level.

Common phrases

  • 开闸放水kāi zhá fàng shuǐ

    open the floodgate to release water

  • 关闸guān zhá

    close the floodgate

  • 船闸chuán zhá

    ship lock

  • 闸门zhá mén

    floodgate

Similar words

水闸shuǐ zhá: A facility that adjusts the amount of water entering and leaving an area.
闸门zhá mén: A gate-shaped structure that closes or opens a water passage.

Definition in Chinese

在河道、运河或水利工程中用来开合以控制水流和水位的门状构件或设施，用于防洪、排水和灌溉调节。zài hé dào yùn hé huò shuǐ lì gōng chéng zhōng yòng lái kāi hé yǐ kòng zhì shuǐ liú hé shuǐ wèi de mén zhuàng gòu jiàn huò shè shī yòng yú fáng hóng pái shuǐ hé guàn gài tiáo jié

Word origin

闸 (zhá, "floodgate") uses 门 (mén, "gate") to show a barrier and 甲 (jiǎ, "shell") as the sound-bearing component.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this noun commonly appears in discussions of canals, irrigation, drainage, and flood control, where it names infrastructure rather than an ordinary door.

Other meanings

  • lock gatenoun

Related words

  • 水闸shuǐ zhásluice gatenoun
  • 闸门zhá ménfloodgatenoun
  • 闸阀zhá fágate valvenoun

Word lists with this word