水管

• Pinyin: shuǐ guǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 水 = water; 管 = 竹 (bamboo) + 官 (official) — originally bamboo tubes used to channel water

Meaning

Water pipe; water tube. A pipe or conduit used to convey water in plumbing, irrigation, or industrial systems.

Refers to pipes in domestic plumbing (tap water pipes), garden hoses, or large-scale municipal water infrastructure. 水管爆裂 (burst pipe) is a common household emergency phrase.

Examples

1. 楼上的水管破裂，导致整层楼都被水淹。 A water pipe upstairs burst and flooded the entire floor.
2. 工人正在更换老旧的水管，以减少水资源的浪费。 Workers are replacing old water pipes to reduce wasted water.
3. 院子里的水管太短，浇不到花圃的最远处。 The hose in the yard is too short to reach the far end of the flower bed.

Usage Guide

Context: household, construction, infrastructure

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 冬天气温骤降，室外的水管容易结冰甚至爆裂，应提前做好保温措施。(In winter, when temperatures drop sharply, outdoor water pipes can freeze or even burst — insulation measures should be taken in advance.)
• 物业公司已经派人来检查大楼的水管系统，确保供水正常。(The property management company has sent workers to inspect the building's water pipe system to ensure normal water supply.)

Don't Say

• 修一下水管 alone is too vague in formal reports; specify 更换水管 (replace), 疏通水管 (unblock), or 检修水管 (inspect and repair)

Origin & History

水 (water) + 管 (tube, pipe, manage) — a tube for water

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal