绳子

• Pinyin: shéng zi
• Hanzi breakdown: 绳 = 糸 + 黾 (rope, cord, to restrain); 子 = 了 + 一 (nominal suffix)

Meaning

Rope; cord; string — a length of twisted or braided fibres used for tying, binding, or pulling.

An everyday concrete noun for rope or cord of any material or thickness. Used in daily life, construction, maritime, and sports contexts. Appears in idioms and metaphors, such as 用绳子捆住 (tie up with rope). The measure word is 根 (a length/strand) or 条 (a strip).

Examples

1. 工人用一根结实的绳子将几十块重石牢牢捆扎在一起，以便起重机统一吊运。 Workers used a sturdy rope to tightly bind dozens of heavy stones together so the crane could lift them as a single load.
2. 孩子们在院子里绑了一根绳子，轮流练习跳绳，欢笑声传遍了整条街道。 The kids tied a rope in the yard and took turns practicing jump rope, their laughter echoing down the whole street.
3. 登山队员在攀登陡峭岩壁时，始终用安全绳子确保彼此之间的紧密连接与保护。 When climbing the steep rock face, the mountaineers stayed securely connected and protected by safety ropes at all times.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, construction, sports, outdoor activities

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 搬家时，他们用几根粗绳子将家具固定在卡车货箱内，以防在颠簸路段上发生位移。(When moving house, they used several thick ropes to secure the furniture inside the truck's cargo hold to prevent it from shifting on bumpy roads.)
• 这根绳子长期暴露在日晒雨淋中，纤维已经严重老化，承重能力大幅下降，必须立即更换。(This rope has been exposed to sun and rain for a long time; the fibres have severely deteriorated and its load-bearing capacity has dropped sharply — it must be replaced immediately.)

Don't Say

• 绳子 when referring to a wire or cable in technical contexts — 绳子 implies fibre-based rope; use 电线 (electric wire) or 钢缆 (steel cable) for metallic or electrical conductors

Origin & History

绳 (rope, cord) + 子 (nominal suffix)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal