货运

• Pinyin: huò yùn
• Hanzi breakdown: 货 = 化 + 贝 (goods, cargo for exchange); 运 = 辶 + 军 (movement/road radical + military formation, to transport, to convey, to carry)

Meaning

Freight transport; cargo shipping. The commercial conveyance of goods by road, rail, sea, or air.

货运 is the industry term for the business of transporting goods. Key compounds: 货运公司 (freight company), 货运量 (freight volume), 货运航班 (cargo flight), 货运港口 (cargo port), 铁路货运 (railway freight), 航空货运 (air freight), 海上货运 (maritime freight). 货运 focuses on the transport service itself, while 货物 focuses on the items being transported.

Examples

1. 随着中欧班列开行频次的不断增加，铁路货运已成为沟通亚欧大陆商贸往来的重要战略通道，大幅缩短了双边货物流通的时间成本。 As China–Europe freight trains run more frequently, rail cargo has become a key strategic corridor linking trade across Eurasia, greatly reducing the time cost of moving goods between the two sides.
2. 航空货运因其速度快、时效性强的特点，特别适合运输高附加值的精密仪器、生鲜食品及紧急医疗物资等对时间高度敏感的特殊货物。 Because it’s fast and highly time-sensitive, air freight is especially suited for shipping high-value goods that are very sensitive to timing, such as precision instruments, fresh foods, and urgent medical supplies.
3. 受极端天气影响，港口货运作业被迫暂停数日，积压的集装箱箱量急剧增加，相关企业损失惨重。 Due to extreme weather, port freight operations were forced to shut down for several days. The number of backed-up containers surged, and related businesses suffered heavy losses.

Usage Guide

Context: logistics, trade, transport, economics, supply chain

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 国家规划提出建设公铁水空深度融合的现代货运体系，以提升效率并降低物流成本。(The national plan calls for building a modern freight system that deeply integrates road, rail, water, and air transport to improve efficiency and lower logistics costs.)
• 无人驾驶在货运领域前景广阔，多家公司已在干线试运行自动驾驶货运卡车，可能重塑行业模式。(Autonomous driving has broad prospects in freight, and several companies are already trialling self-driving freight trucks on trunk routes, which could reshape the industry model.)

Don't Say

• 货运 for passenger transport — use 客运 for passenger transport; 货运 exclusively refers to the transport of goods/cargo, not people

Origin & History

货 (goods/cargo) + 运 (transport/convey) — 运 contains 辶 (movement radical) + 军 (military force, originally conveying troops, extended to transporting anything); together: the business of conveying goods

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal