尾气

• Pinyin: wěi qì
• Hanzi breakdown: 尾 = 尸 (person crouching) + 毛 (hair/tail) — tail, end; 气 = pictograph of rising vapour — gas, air

Meaning

Exhaust gas; vehicle emissions; exhaust fumes. The combustion gases expelled from the exhaust pipe of a vehicle or engine.

尾气 primarily refers to vehicle exhaust fumes, which are a major source of urban air pollution in China. 汽车尾气 (car exhaust), 尾气排放 (exhaust emissions), 尾气污染 (exhaust pollution), 尾气检测 (exhaust emissions testing). A central term in discussions of air quality, smog (雾霾), and environmental regulation. The push to electrify transport is explicitly framed as a way to reduce 尾气排放.

Examples

1. 城区道路上密集的车流使汽车尾气成为雾霾天气的重要成因之一。 The dense traffic on urban roads makes vehicle exhaust one of the major contributing factors to smoggy weather.
2. 政府规定所有机动车辆须每年接受尾气排放检测，不达标者不得继续上路行驶。 The government requires all motor vehicles to undergo an exhaust emissions test every year — those that fail the standard may not continue to be driven on public roads.
3. 大力推广新能源汽车的核心目标之一，就是从源头上减少城市中的尾气污染。 One of the core goals of vigorously promoting new-energy vehicles is to reduce exhaust pollution in cities at the source.

Usage Guide

Context: environment, traffic, health, policy

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 长期暴露在高浓度尾气中对呼吸系统的损害是不可逆的。(Long-term exposure to high concentrations of exhaust fumes causes irreversible damage to the respiratory system.)
• 新型催化转化器能将发动机尾气中的有毒成分大幅削减。(New-generation catalytic converters can significantly cut the toxic components in engine exhaust.)

Don't Say

• 将尾气与废气混淆 — 尾气 specifically refers to exhaust from vehicle/engine combustion; 废气 is the broader term for any waste gas or industrial exhaust emissions

Origin & History

Compound of 尾 (tail, end — 尸 person crouching + 毛 hair/tail) + 气 (gas, vapour, air — pictograph of rising steam). Together: the gas expelled from the tail/exhaust — the efflux of combustion.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal