Learn Chinese Characters 058 车

by Caren Zuo

车 （chē）



It pictures an ancient chariot with spokes, shaft and yokes. In the Shang and Zhou dynasty, the chariot was symbol of the power of both kings and lords. As an advanced equipment, it played an important role in warfare.

It is a radical which is related to “chariot”, “the parts of chariot” or “the action of chariots” when it forms new combined characters.

A test: Please point where the “车” lies in the following characters.

军 转 轮

Useful Phrases:

火车（huǒ chē）train 

汽车（qì chē）car 

自行车（zì xíngchē）bicycle 

出租车（chū zū chē）taxi 

公共汽车 （gōnɡ gònɡ qì chē）bus 

一辆车（yí liàng chē） 

车辆（chē liàng）