车站

• Pinyin: chē zhàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 车 (vehicle) + 站 (to stand, station) — a place where vehicles stop

Meaning

Station; stop. A place where buses, trains, or other public transport vehicles pick up and drop off passengers.

A general term for any transport stop or station. Commonly refers to bus stops (公共汽车站) and train stations (火车站). In everyday speech, 车站 alone usually means 'bus stop'. For specific types, a prefix is added: 火车站 (train station), 地铁站 (metro station).

Examples

1. 车站在哪里？ Where is the station?
2. 我在车站等你。 I'll wait for you at the station.
3. 从这里到车站要走十分钟。 It takes ten minutes to walk from here to the station.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 车站离这里远吗？(Is the station far from here?)
• 我们在车站见。(Let's meet at the station.)

Don't Say

• 飞机车站 for airport (Airports are 机场, not 车站 — 车站 is only for land transport)

Origin & History

Compound of 车 (vehicle) and 站 (to stand; station). A station is a place where vehicles stop and people stand waiting.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal