停车

• Pinyin: tíng chē
• Hanzi breakdown: 停 = to stop; 车 = pictograph of a cart/vehicle — to stop a vehicle

Meaning

To park a vehicle; to stop a car.

Used broadly for parking any vehicle. Can also simply mean to bring a vehicle to a temporary halt. Common on road signs and in everyday driving situations. Often seen in phrases like 停车位 (parking space) and 禁止停车 (no parking).

Examples

1. 这里不能停车。 You can't park here.
2. 他把车停在楼下了。 He parked the car downstairs.
3. 前面有地方可以停车。 There's a place to park up ahead.

Usage Guide

Context: driving, transportation, places

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请在这里停车。(Please park here.)
• 路边不让停车。(Parking is not allowed on the roadside.)

Don't Say

• 我要停车我的自行车在沙发上 (Don't use 停车 for placing a bicycle inside the house — 停车 implies parking in a proper spot; use 放 for placing a bike indoors)

Origin & History

停 (tíng, to stop) + 车 (chē, vehicle). To stop a vehicle — i.e., to park.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal