车位

• Pinyin: chē wèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 车 = pictograph of a vehicle; 位 = 亻 (person) + 立 (stand)

Meaning

Parking space; parking spot. A designated area for parking a vehicle.

Can refer to individual parking spots or parking spaces in general. In Chinese cities, parking spaces (especially in residential areas) are valuable and often bought separately from apartments.

Examples

1. 这个小区的车位非常紧张。 Parking spaces are very tight in this residential complex.
2. 他花了二十万买了一个地下车位。 He spent 200,000 yuan to buy an underground parking space.
3. 我们转了半天才找到一个停车位。 We drove around for ages before finding a parking spot.

Usage Guide

Context: urban, real estate, parking

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 停车场还有车位吗？(Are there any parking spaces left in the parking lot?)
• 现在大城市的车位比车还贵。(Nowadays parking spaces in big cities are more expensive than cars.)

Don't Say

• 我的自行车需要车位 (车位 typically refers to car parking — for bicycles, use 停车架 or 自行车位)

Origin & History

Compound of 车 (vehicle) and 位 (position, space). A modern urban term.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal