车速

• Pinyin: chē sù
• Hanzi breakdown: 车 = pictograph of a vehicle; 速 = 辶 (movement) + 束 (bundle, phonetic)

Meaning

Vehicle speed; the speed at which a vehicle is traveling.

A technical and everyday term for how fast a vehicle is moving. Common in traffic reports, driving instructions, and accident descriptions. Often paired with limits or measurements.

Examples

1. 仪表盘显示当前车速是八十公里。 The dashboard shows the current speed is eighty kilometers.
2. 雨天要降低车速，确保安全。 Reduce your speed on rainy days to ensure safety.
3. 交警在测量过往车辆的车速。 Traffic police are measuring the speeds of passing vehicles.

Usage Guide

Context: driving, traffic

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这里车速限制是六十公里每小时。(The speed limit here is sixty kilometers per hour.)
• 车速太快是这次事故的主要原因。(Excessive speed was the main cause of this accident.)

Don't Say

• 我的跑步车速很快 (车速 is only for vehicles — for running speed, use 速度 or 跑速)

Origin & History

Compound of 车 (vehicle) and 速 (speed). A straightforward modern compound.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal