Meaning of 轮船
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- steamship; steamer; steamboat
Measure word: 艘
How to use 轮船
轮船 is a general word for a large powered ship that carries passengers or cargo, and it often appears with the measure word 艘 (sōu). Example: 我们坐轮船去上海。(Wǒmen zuò lúnchuán qù Shànghǎi.) We are going to Shanghai by steamship.
轮 (lún) means wheel, as in 轮子 (lúnzi), and 船 (chuán) means boat. A boat driven by wheels is a steamship, like the old paddle-wheel steamers.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say 划船 (huáchuán) when they mean taking a big ship. 划船 means rowing a small boat yourself, while 轮船 is a large engine-powered vessel. Also keep both syllables in the second tone: lún and chuán.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
轮 lún · wheel · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
船 chuán · boat · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
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- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 轮船.
| 划船 | huáchuán | to row a boat; rowing; boating |
| 轮椅 | lúnyǐ | wheelchair |
| 轮子 | lúnzi | wheel; (derog.) Falun Gong practitioner |
| 船长 | chuánzhǎng | captain (of a boat); skipper |
| 飞船 | fēichuán | spaceship; spacecraft |
| 船员 | chuányuán | sailor; crew member |
| 船只 | chuánzhī | ship; boat |
| 轮胎 | lúntāi | tire; pneumatic tire |
| 轮流 | lúnliú | to alternate; to take turns |
| 车轮 | chēlún | wheel |
| 帆船 | fānchuán | sailboat |
| 轮廓 | lúnkuò | outline; silhouette |
Questions about 轮船
What does 轮船 mean?
轮船 (lúnchuán) means "steamship; steamer; steamboat" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 轮船?
轮船 is made of 2 characters: 轮 (8 strokes), 船 (11 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 轮船 an HSK word?
Yes. 轮船 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 轮船 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 轮船 is written 輪船.
Is 轮船 only for old steam-powered ships?
No. The English gloss says steamship, but in modern Chinese 轮船 is used for large motor ships in general. Everyday speech also uses 船 (chuán) alone for any boat.
What verb do I use with 轮船?
Use 坐 (zuò) or 乘 (chéng) to say you travel on a ship, as in 坐轮船 (zuò lúnchuán). For the ship's crew and captain, use 船员 (chuányuán) and 船长 (chuánzhǎng).