渠道

• Pinyin: qú dào
• Hanzi breakdown: 渠 = 氵(water) + 榘 (carpenter's square) — water channel; 道 = 辶 (walk) + 首 (head) — path, way

Meaning

Channel; pathway; conduit. A route through which something flows or is distributed.

Originally meant irrigation channels. Now commonly used in business (销售渠道 — sales channels), communication (沟通渠道 — communication channels), and information flow (信息渠道 — information channels). Essential vocabulary in marketing and organizational discussions.

Examples

1. 公司正在拓展新的销售渠道，打算开设线上商店。 The company is expanding new sales channels and plans to open an online store.
2. 我们需要建立有效的沟通渠道来解决这个问题。 We need to establish effective communication channels to resolve this issue.
3. 他通过非正式渠道得知了这个消息。 He learned about this news through informal channels.

Usage Guide

Context: business, communication, distribution

Tone: professional

Do Say

• 你是通过什么渠道知道的？(Through what channel did you find out?)
• 我们需要更多渠道。(We need more channels.)

Don't Say

• 不要把'渠道'用于实体道路 (Don't use 渠道 for physical roads — use 道路; 渠道 is for distribution/communication pathways)

Origin & History

Compound of 渠 (ditch, channel) and 道 (way, path). Originally referred to water channels; extended to abstract pathways.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal