直线 meaning in English
straight line; sharply (rise or fall)
Meaning of 直线
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- straight line
- sharply (rise or fall)
How to use 直线
直线 is used in math and everyday speech for a straight line, and also as an adverb-like word for prices or numbers that rise or fall sharply, often in 直线上升 or 直线下降. Example: 房价直线上升。(Fángjià zhíxiàn shàngshēng.) Housing prices shot straight up.
直 (zhí) means straight and 线 (xiàn) means line or thread, so 直线 is simply a straight line. Picture pulling a thread 线 tight until it runs perfectly 直.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say 一直线 when they mean "in a straight line". The adverb for going straight is 一直 (yīzhí), as in 一直走 (yīzhí zǒu), while 直线 names the line itself or describes a sharp rise or fall.
直线 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.
直 zhí · straight · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
线 xiàn · thread · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 直线.
| 一直 | yīzhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 直接 | zhíjiē | directly; direct |
| 直到 | zhídào | until |
| 简直 | jiǎnzhí | simply; really |
| 路线 | lùxiàn | itinerary; route |
| 直播 | zhíbō | (TV, radio) to broadcast live; live broadcast |
| 线索 | xiànsuǒ | trail; clues |
| 光线 | guāngxiàn | light ray; light |
| 直升机 | zhíshēngjī | helicopter |
| 线路 | xiànlù | (electricity) line; circuit; wire; (traffic) road; track; route |
| 热线 | rèxiàn | hotline (communications link) |
| 无线电 | wúxiàndiàn | radio; wireless (i.e. the technology used in radio telecommunication); a radio |
Questions about 直线
What does 直线 mean?
直线 (zhíxiàn) means "straight line; sharply (rise or fall)" and is used as a noun and adjective.
How do you write 直线?
直线 is made of 2 characters: 直 (8 strokes), 线 (8 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 直线 an HSK word?
Yes. 直线 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 直线 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 直线 is written 直線.
How do you say "curved line" as the opposite of 直线?
The opposite is 曲线 (qūxiàn), a curved line. 曲线 is also used for graphs, as in 增长曲线 (zēngzhǎng qūxiàn), a growth curve.
What does 直线距离 mean?
直线距离 (zhíxiàn jùlí) means straight-line distance, the distance "as the crow flies". People use it when the actual road distance is longer, for example 直线距离只有两公里 (the straight-line distance is only two kilometers).