汽油

• Pinyin: qì yóu
• Hanzi breakdown: 汽 = 氵 (water) + 气 (steam) — volatile liquid; 油 = 氵 (water) + 由 (from/through) — oil, a slippery liquid

Meaning

Gasoline; petrol. A refined petroleum fuel used in internal combustion engines for cars and other vehicles.

The standard word for petrol/gasoline. Common collocations: 加汽油 (fill up with petrol), 汽油价格 (petrol prices), 汽油车 (petrol car, as opposed to 电动车 electric car). Contrasts with 柴油 (diesel). A practical everyday word, especially relevant as fuel prices are frequently discussed in daily life and news.

Examples

1. 最近汽油价格又涨了，开车的成本越来越高。 Petrol prices have gone up again recently — the cost of driving keeps rising.
2. 车没有汽油了，我们先去加油站吧。 The car is out of petrol — let's go to the petrol station first.
3. 现在很多人选择电动车，因为不用花钱买汽油。 Many people now choose electric cars because they don't have to spend money on petrol.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, daily life, news

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 这辆车加的是九五号汽油。(This car uses 95-octane petrol.)
• 汽油又涨价了。(Petrol prices have gone up again.)

Don't Say

• 给自行车加汽油 (Don't talk about putting petrol in a bicycle — bicycles don't use fuel; this would sound absurd)

Origin & History

A compound of 汽 (steam/vapour) and 油 (oil) — volatile oil that produces vapour, i.e. gasoline.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal