搬家

• Pinyin: bān jiā
• Hanzi breakdown: 搬 = 扌(hand) + 般 (phonetic); 家 = 宀 (roof) + 豕 (pig), meaning home

Meaning

To move house; to relocate. The process of changing one's place of residence.

A very common verb-object compound used for the entire process of relocating. Can be extended to 搬新家 (move to a new house). Professional movers are called 搬家公司.

Examples

1. 下个月我们要搬家到新的小区。 We're moving to a new neighbourhood next month.
2. 搬家的时候，朋友们都来帮忙了。 When we moved, all our friends came to help.
3. 他因为工作的原因搬家到了北京。 He moved to Beijing because of his job.

Usage Guide

Context: housing, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 我们下周要搬家了。(We're moving next week.)
• 搬家公司帮我们把东西搬到了新家。(The moving company helped us move our things to the new home.)

Don't Say

• 我搬家了我的东西 (搬家 is a verb-object compound, so don't add another object after it — say 我把东西搬到了新家 instead)

Origin & History

Verb-object compound of 搬 (to move) and 家 (home), literally 'move home.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal