排球

• Pinyin: pái qiú
• Hanzi breakdown: 排 (pái) — row, to arrange; 球 (qiú) — ball

Meaning

Volleyball. The ball sport played between two teams across a net.

Refers to the sport of volleyball and also the ball used in the game. Volleyball is a popular sport in China, with the Chinese women's national team being particularly celebrated. 打排球 (play volleyball) is the standard collocation.

Examples

1. 我们下午去打排球吧。 Let's go play volleyball this afternoon.
2. 她是学校排球队的。 She is on the school volleyball team.
3. 排球比赛下周开始。 The volleyball competition starts next week.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, school, recreation

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 你会打排球吗？(Can you play volleyball?)
• 中国女排很厉害。(The Chinese women's volleyball team is amazing.)

Don't Say

• 不要说'玩排球' (Don't say 玩排球 — the standard collocation is 打排球, using 打 for ball sports played with hands)

Origin & History

Compound of 排 (row, to arrange — referring to the players standing in rows) and 球 (ball). The name reflects the formation of players on the court.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal