航运

• Pinyin: háng yùn
• Hanzi breakdown: 航 = 舟 (boat) + 亢 (upright/high); 运 = 辶 (movement radical) + 云 (cloud, phonetic) — to transport and convey

Meaning

Shipping; water transportation — the commercial transport of goods or passengers by sea, river, or other waterways, as an industry or commercial service.

Used in trade, logistics, and economics contexts. 航运业 (shipping industry), 航运公司 (shipping company), 航运指数 (shipping index, e.g. the Baltic Dry Index). A cornerstone industry for international trade, particularly significant for China as a major exporting nation with the world's largest container port throughput.

Examples

1. 上海港是全球吞吐量最大的集装箱港口之一，其航运业务覆盖了中国与全球两百余个国家和地区的贸易往来。 The Port of Shanghai is one of the world’s busiest container ports, and its shipping operations connect China’s trade with more than 200 countries and regions worldwide.
2. 受苏伊士运河堵塞事件影响，全球航运价格出现剧烈波动，多个主要航线的运费在短期内翻涨数倍。 After the Suez Canal blockage, global shipping prices swung sharply, with freight rates on several major routes multiplying several times over in a short period.
3. 随着跨境电商的迅猛发展，小批量高频次的货物航运需求大幅增长，传统大宗货物运输的市场格局正在悄然改变。 With cross-border e-commerce booming, demand for small-batch, high-frequency shipping has surged, quietly reshaping a market long dominated by bulk cargo transport.

Usage Guide

Context: trade, logistics, economics, port management, international business

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 此次全球航运费率的大幅上涨直接推高了进口商品的成本，相关压力最终通过供应链传导至终端消费者。(The substantial increase in global shipping rates directly pushed up the costs of imported goods, with the related pressure ultimately transmitted through the supply chain to end consumers.)
• 多家国内航运企业已开始整合资源，通过并购重组打造能够与国际巨头抗衡的大型综合性航运集团。(Several domestic shipping companies have begun consolidating resources, building large comprehensive shipping groups capable of competing with international giants through mergers and acquisitions.)

Don't Say

• 航运 for air freight — 航运 specifically refers to water-based shipping; for air transport use 空运; for land transport use 陆运; for general cargo use 货运

Origin & History

航 (to navigate by vessel) + 运 (to transport, to convey) — the conveyance of goods and people by waterborne vessel

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal