走廊

• Pinyin: zǒu láng
• Hanzi breakdown: 走 = 走 (walk); 廊 = 广 + 郎 (covered walkway)

Meaning

Corridor; hallway; passage. An enclosed passageway connecting rooms or areas within a building, or a narrow strip of land linking two regions.

Used both architecturally (building hallways) and geographically (strategic land corridors). In geopolitics, 走廊 can refer to vital transport or territorial corridors such as economic belts or access routes.

Examples

1. 医院走廊上的家属们焦虑地等待着手术室里传来的消息。 Family members in the hospital corridor waited anxiously for news from the operating room.
2. 这条狭长的沿海走廊在历史上一直是兵家必争之地。 This long, narrow coastal corridor has historically been a strategically contested area.
3. 新办公楼的走廊宽敞明亮，两侧悬挂着员工的艺术作品。 The corridors in the new office building are spacious and bright, with employees' artwork displayed on both sides.

Usage Guide

Context: architecture, geography, daily life, geopolitics

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请勿在走廊内大声喧哗，以免影响他人正常工作。(Please refrain from making loud noise in the corridor so as not to disturb others' work.)
• 这条经济走廊的建成将大幅缩短两国之间的陆路运输时间。(The completion of this economic corridor will significantly reduce land transport time between the two countries.)

Don't Say

• 走廊的味道 — while colloquially understood, 走廊 refers to the space, not its sensory qualities; use 走廊里的气味 for the smell in a hallway

Origin & History

走 (walk) + 廊 (covered walkway/gallery)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal