高速

• Pinyin: gāo sù
• Hanzi breakdown: 高 = pictograph of a tall building; 速 = 辶 (walk) + 束 (bundle), meaning speed

Meaning

High-speed. Describing something that moves or operates at great speed.

Used as a modifier in many common compounds: 高速公路 (highway/motorway), 高速铁路/高铁 (high-speed rail), 高速发展 (rapid development). Also used alone as shorthand for 高速公路 in spoken Chinese.

Examples

1. 中国的高速铁路发展非常快。 China's high-speed rail has developed very rapidly.
2. 走高速比走普通公路快多了。 Taking the highway is much faster than taking regular roads.
3. 这台电脑的高速运行让工作效率提高了很多。 This computer's high-speed operation has greatly improved work efficiency.

Usage Guide

Context: transport, technology, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 我们走高速去吧，能快一个小时。(Let's take the highway, it'll be an hour faster.)
• 高速列车的速度可以达到每小时三百公里。(High-speed trains can reach 300 kilometres per hour.)

Don't Say

• 他高速地吃饭 (Don't use 高速 for everyday actions like eating — it sounds technical; use 很快 for ordinary speed descriptions)

Origin & History

Compound of 高 (high, tall) and 速 (speed), meaning high speed.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal