车牌

• Pinyin: chē pái
• Hanzi breakdown: 车 = simplified from 車, pictograph of a cart; 牌 = 片 (slice) + 卑 (phonetic), plate or sign

Meaning

License plate; vehicle registration plate.

The metal plate attached to vehicles displaying the registration number. In China, license plates indicate the province or city of registration through the first character. Getting a license plate in major cities like Beijing or Shanghai requires winning a lottery or auction due to traffic control measures.

Examples

1. 北京的车牌摇号中签率越来越低，很多人等了好几年都没摇到。 The odds of winning the Beijing license plate lottery are getting lower and lower — many people have waited years without getting one.
2. 他的车牌是沪A开头的，说明是上海的车。 His license plate starts with 'Shanghai A,' which means it's a Shanghai-registered car.
3. 新能源车可以直接申请绿色车牌，不用排队等号。 New energy vehicles can directly apply for green license plates without queuing for a number.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, legal, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你的车牌号是多少？(What's your license plate number?)
• 这辆车的车牌是假的。(This car's license plate is fake.)

Don't Say

• 口语中常说'车牌'或'车牌号'，正式文件中用'机动车号牌' (In casual speech, use 车牌 or 车牌号; in official documents, use 机动车号牌)

Origin & History

Compound of 车 (vehicle) and 牌 (plate/sign), literally meaning vehicle plate.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal