队伍

• Pinyin: duì wu
• Hanzi breakdown: 队 = 阝 (mound) + 㒸 (phonetic); 伍 = 亻 (person) + 五 (five) — group of people

Meaning

Team; ranks; contingent; procession. A group of people organized for a common purpose, or a line of people marching together.

Can refer to a sports team, a workforce, an army unit, or simply a line/queue of people. 队伍建设 (team building) is common in workplace jargon. The word has a slightly more formal or organized feel than just 队 (team). Related: 排队伍 (line up), 游行队伍 (parade procession), 人才队伍 (talent pool).

Examples

1. 公司最近在扩大销售队伍，计划年底前招二十个人。 The company is expanding its sales team and plans to hire twenty people by the end of the year.
2. 国庆节的游行队伍从长安街一直排到天安门广场。 The National Day parade procession stretched from Chang'an Avenue all the way to Tiananmen Square.
3. 我们这支科研队伍虽然年轻，但成果相当不错。 Although our research team is young, our results have been quite impressive.

Usage Guide

Context: work, organization, sports

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 我们队伍里有几个特别有经验的老员工。(We have a few very experienced veterans on our team.)
• 队伍太长了，我们还是改天再来吧。(The line is too long; let's come back another day.)

Don't Say

• 用队伍形容一个松散的朋友圈 (Don't use 队伍 for a loose group of friends — it implies formal organization; use 一群 or 一帮 instead)

Origin & History

Compound of 队 (team, group) + 伍 (rank of five soldiers). 伍 originally meant a military unit of five men, adding a sense of organized ranks.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal