帆船

• Pinyin: fān chuán
• Hanzi breakdown: 帆 = 巾 (cloth) + 凡 (general) — sail; 船 = 舟 (boat) + 几 (small table/numerous) — a vessel with multiple parts

Meaning

Sailing boat; sailboat. A vessel propelled primarily by wind acting on sails.

Refers both to traditional wooden sailing vessels used in Chinese maritime history and to modern recreational or competitive sailing boats. 帆船运动 (sailing as a sport) has grown in popularity in coastal Chinese cities and is an Olympic discipline.

Examples

1. 青岛是中国著名的帆船之都，每年都会在此举办国际帆船赛事，吸引来自数十个国家的职业选手和业余爱好者参赛。 Qingdao is known as China’s sailing capital; it hosts international regattas every year, drawing professional sailors and amateurs from dozens of countries.
2. 这艘古代帆船的复原模型被永久陈列于海事博物馆，供参观者了解中国传统造船工艺与航海技术的辉煌历史。 A restored model of this ancient sailboat is permanently displayed in a maritime museum, allowing visitors to learn about the glory of China’s traditional shipbuilding and navigation technologies.
3. 她从小在海边长大，十六岁便独立驾驶帆船完成了一次长达三周的近海航行，展现出超乎同龄人的胆识与技术。 She grew up by the sea, and at sixteen she single-handedly sailed a three-week coastal voyage, showing courage and skill well beyond her years.

Usage Guide

Context: sport, maritime, history, travel

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 为备战下一届亚运会帆船项目，国家队已在三亚建立了全年候训练基地，教练组针对每名运动员的技术短板制定了个性化的强化训练计划。(To prepare for the sailing events at the next Asian Games, the national team has established a year-round training base in Sanya; the coaching team has developed personalised intensive training plans targeting the technical weaknesses of each athlete.)
• 帆船体验已成为海滨度假区吸引高端客群的休闲项目。(Sailing experiences have become a leisure activity that seaside resorts use to attract high-end visitors.)

Don't Say

• 坐帆船去 — while not grammatically wrong, it sounds too casual for formal contexts; use 乘帆船 or 驾驶帆船 depending on whether one is a passenger or the skipper

Origin & History

帆 (sail) + 船 (boat/vessel) — a boat that uses sails as its primary means of propulsion

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal