Chinese word

高速公路

Pronunciation

Pinyingāo sù gōng lù

Meaning

  • nounhighway

Example

从市区上高速公路要半小时。cóng shì qū shàng gāo sù gōng lù yào bàn xiǎo shí

It takes half an hour to get onto the highway from downtown.

Illustration for 高速公路 (highway)

More examples

周末我们在高速公路上开车回家。zhōu mò wǒ men zài gāo sù gōng lù shàng kāi chē huí jiā

We drove home on the highway over the weekend.

Core concept

A controlled public road built for vehicles to travel continuously at high speed.

Common phrases

  • 在高速公路上开车zài gāo sù gōng lù shàng kāi chē

    drive on the highway

  • 上高速公路shàng gāo sù gōng lù

    get onto the highway

  • 下高速公路xià gāo sù gōng lù

    get off the highway

Similar words

高速路gāo sù lù: A casual term for a controlled road designed for vehicles to travel at high speed.
公路gōng lù: A paved public road that carries vehicles between cities or regions.
马路mǎ lù: A broad paved road in a town or city where vehicles and pedestrians travel.
道路dào lù: A general road built for vehicles and people to travel on.

Definition in Chinese

为车辆提供连续高速通行的道路，通常设有中央隔离带、匝道出入口与速度管理，并禁止行人和非机动车通行。wèi chē liàng tí gōng lián xù gāo sù tōng xíng de dào lù tōng cháng shè yǒu zhōng yāng gé lí dài zā dào chū rù kǒu yǔ sù dù guán lǐ bìng jìn zhǐ xíng rén hé fēi jī dòng chē tōng xíng

Word origin

高速公路 (gāosùgōnglù, "highway") combines 高 (gāo, "high") + 速 (sù, "speed") with 公 (gōng, "public") + 路 (lù, "road"), directly naming a public road designed for fast travel.

Usage tips

  • In conversational Chinese, the full noun is often shortened to 高速 (gāosù, "expressway") when the road type is clear, so 高速 can refer to the road rather than only to speed.

Word lists with this word