车轴

• Pinyin: chē zhóu
• Hanzi breakdown: 车 = pictograph of a vehicle; 轴 = 车 (vehicle) + 由 (from, phonetic)

Meaning

Axle; the shaft connecting and rotating with a vehicle's wheels.

A mechanical term referring to the central shaft around which wheels rotate. Also used in the idiom 大雨如注，车轴般粗 to describe extremely heavy rain (rain as thick as axles).

Examples

1. 货车的车轴断了，需要立即维修。 The truck's axle broke and needs immediate repair.
2. 这种车有前后两根车轴。 This type of vehicle has two axles, front and back.
3. 外面下着车轴般的大雨，根本出不了门。 It's raining buckets outside; we can't go out at all.

Usage Guide

Context: mechanical, automotive, weather idiom

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 车轴是汽车底盘的重要组成部分。(The axle is an important component of a car's chassis.)
• 这雨下得跟车轴似的。(It's raining like axles — meaning extremely heavy.)

Don't Say

• 自行车的车轴坏了 (While technically correct, for bicycles people more commonly say 轴 or 中轴)

Origin & History

Compound of 车 (vehicle) and 轴 (axis, axle). 轴 contains 由 (from) as a phonetic component.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal