列车

• Pinyin: liè chē
• Hanzi breakdown: 列 = 歹 (bone/row) + 刂 (knife) — to arrange in a row; 车 = simplified pictograph of a wheeled vehicle

Meaning

Train; railway train. A formal term for a train, used especially in official announcements and schedules.

More formal than the everyday word 火车. Used in train station announcements, timetables, and official contexts. Appears in compound terms such as 动车 (high-speed train), 列车员 (train attendant), and 列车长 (chief conductor).

Examples

1. 这趟列车将在十分钟后到达北京站。 This train will arrive at Beijing Station in ten minutes.
2. 请旅客们注意，列车即将开动。 Passengers, please note that the train is about to depart.
3. 他在列车上认识了一位有趣的老人。 He met an interesting elderly person on the train.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, travel

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这趟列车的终点站是上海。(The final stop of this train is Shanghai.)
• 列车上不允许吸烟。(Smoking is not allowed on the train.)

Don't Say

• 我坐列车去上班 — in daily conversation, use 火车 or 地铁 instead; 列车 sounds overly formal for casual speech

Origin & History

列 means 'to line up' or 'a row' and 车 means 'vehicle.' A train is literally a vehicle made of lined-up carriages.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal