吊車 / 吊车
diàochē
In Chinese, the word for the machinery 'crane' is 吊車 / 吊车 (diàochē). Wiktionary also lists 起重機 / 起重机 (qǐzhòngjī).
Meaning: machinery (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 吊車 / 吊车 | diàochē |
| 起重機 / 起重机 | qǐzhòngjī |
If you are referring to the action of a crane extending its neck, you would instead use related verbs such as 伸長 / 伸长 or 探頭 / 探头.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 吊車 / 吊车 is composed of 吊 (diào), meaning 'to hang' or 'to lift' and 車 (chē), meaning 'vehicle'. The term 起重機 / 起重机 is composed of 起 (qǐ), meaning 'to lift', 重 (zhòng), meaning 'heavy' and 機 (jī), meaning 'machine'.
Which one should you use?
吊車 / 吊车 is the more common, colloquial term used in everyday speech, whereas 起重機 / 起重机 is the formal technical term.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
diàochē
Did you know?
- Unlike the English word 'crane', which shares a name with a bird, the Chinese terms for the machinery have no linguistic connection to the bird character 鶴 / 鹤.
- The character 吊 in 吊車 / 吊车 is also used in the word for 'suspension' in cars and 'hanging' in the context of execution by hanging.
- The character 機 / 机 used in 起重機 / 起重机 is also the root for 'opportunity' or 'chance' in many common idioms.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crane” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
