堵车

• Pinyin: dǔ chē
• Hanzi breakdown: 堵 = 土 (earth) + 者 (phonetic component); 车 = simplified pictograph of a vehicle

Meaning

Traffic jam; traffic congestion. When vehicles on a road are stuck and unable to move freely.

One of the most commonly used phrases in Chinese urban life. Used both as a verb-object phrase (路上堵车了) and as a noun concept. Rush hour congestion is a daily topic of conversation in major Chinese cities.

Examples

1. 早上上班的时候总是堵车，所以我提前半小时出门。 There's always a traffic jam during the morning commute, so I leave half an hour early.
2. 因为堵车，我们差点赶不上飞机。 Because of the traffic jam, we almost missed our flight.
3. 下雨天堵车更严重。 Traffic congestion is even worse on rainy days.

Usage Guide

Context: traffic, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 路上堵车了，我可能要晚到。(There's a traffic jam — I might arrive late.)
• 这条路早高峰经常堵车。(This road often has traffic jams during morning rush hour.)

Don't Say

• 用'堵车'描述没有车的道路拥堵 (Don't use 堵车 for non-vehicle congestion — for crowded pedestrian areas, say 人太多 or 拥挤)

Origin & History

Verb-object compound of 堵 (to block) and 车 (vehicle). Literally 'vehicles are blocked.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal