Meaning of 回收
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to recycle
- to reclaim
- to retrieve
- to recover
- to recall (a defective product)
How to use 回收
回收 is common for recycling waste, recovering money or investment, and companies recalling faulty products. It often appears before nouns like 站 (zhàn) or 箱 (xiāng), as in 回收站 (recycle bin). Example: 这些瓶子可以回收。 (Zhèxiē píngzi kěyǐ huíshōu.) These bottles can be recycled.
回 (huí) means to go back and 收 (shōu) means to collect, so 回收 is collecting something back. Picture old bottles being gathered and sent back to be used again.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 回收 to mean receiving a reply or a package, but that is 收到 (shōudào) or 回复 (huífù). Also keep the tones straight: huí is second tone and shōu is first tone, not shǒu like 手 (hand).
回收 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
回 huí · to go back · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
收 shōu · to receive · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 回收.
| 回来 | huílái | to return; to come back |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to return home |
| 回去 | huíqù | to return; to go back |
| 回到 | huídào | to return to |
| 回答 | huídá | to reply; to answer; reply; answer |
| 收到 | shōudào | to receive |
| 收入 | shōurù | to take in; income |
| 回国 | huí guó | to return to one's home country |
| 收音机 | shōuyīnjī | radio |
| 收看 | shōukàn | to watch (a TV program) |
| 收费 | shōufèi | to charge a fee |
| 收听 | shōutīng | to listen to (a radio broadcast) |
Questions about 回收
What does 回收 mean?
回收 (huíshōu) means "to recycle; to reclaim" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 回收?
回收 is made of 2 characters: 回 (6 strokes), 收 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 回收 an HSK word?
Yes. 回收 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say recycling bin in Chinese?
A physical recycling bin is 回收箱 (huíshōu xiāng). The recycle bin on a computer is 回收站 (huíshōu zhàn).
What is the difference between 回收 and 召回 for product recalls?
Both can describe a company taking back defective products. 召回 (zhàohuí) is the more specific, formal term for an official recall, while 回收 focuses on physically collecting the items back.