倒车

• Pinyin: dǎo chē
• Hanzi breakdown: 倒 = 亻(person) + 到 (arrive); 车 = simplified from 車, pictograph of a cart seen from above

Meaning

To transfer between vehicles; to change buses or trains. Refers to switching from one route or line to another during a journey.

Primarily means transferring between different bus or subway lines during travel. When pronounced dào chē, it can also mean to reverse or back up a vehicle, but as dǎo chē the main meaning is changing vehicles on a journey. Very common in urban commuting contexts.

Examples

1. 从这里到机场要倒两次车，不太方便。 Getting from here to the airport requires two transfers, which isn't very convenient.
2. 你坐三号线到下一站倒车就能到了。 Take Line 3 and transfer at the next stop, then you'll be there.
3. 我每天上班都需要倒车，花的时间比较长。 I need to transfer every day when commuting to work, so it takes quite a long time.

Usage Guide

Context: transport, commute, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 到那个地方不用倒车，坐一趟公交就到了。(You don't need to transfer to get there — one bus ride will do.)
• 请问去动物园需要在哪里倒车？(Excuse me, where do I need to transfer to get to the zoo?)

Don't Say

• 用dǎo的声调说开车倒退的意思 (When meaning 'to reverse a vehicle,' the pronunciation is dào chē with fourth tone, not dǎo chē — don't mix up the tones)

Origin & History

倒 here means to change or exchange (as in 倒手, to change hands), and 车 means vehicle. Together they describe the act of switching between vehicles.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal