开车小心
kāichē xiǎoxīn
The English phrase "drive safely" is translated into Chinese as 开车小心 (kāichē xiǎoxīn).
开车小心 is a way to tell a driver to be careful while operating a vehicle. It is commonly used when seeing someone off or when a person is about to depart in a vehicle.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of the verb 开, which means to open or to operate.
Which one should you use?
If you want to tell someone to drive slower or to take it easy on the road, you can use 慢点开.
How does it change in a sentence?
In spoken conversation, you can add 点 (diǎn) after 小心 to form 开车小心点. This makes the phrase sound more natural and softer, similar to saying "drive a little more carefully".
How do you pronounce it?
kāichē xiǎoxīn
Did you know?
- In Chinese culture, people often say 慢走 ('walk slowly') to guests who are leaving, even if they are driving. It is a polite way to wish someone a safe journey regardless of the mode of transport.
- While 小心 means 'be careful', it literally translates to 'small heart'. In Chinese, a 'small heart' implies a state of alertness and caution.
- The word 车 ('vehicle') is a pictograph that originally looked like a chariot with two wheels and a square axle. Modern Chinese characters still retain this ancient structural logic.
Examples in context
- 当您驾车出行时，请小心驾驶。When you're traveling by car, please drive carefully.
- 你开车要小心哦。Drive carefully, okay?
- 慢点开，安全第一。Drive slower, safety first.
- 路很滑，开车小心。Lù hěn huá, kāichē xiǎoxīn.The road is slippery, so drive safely.
- 天黑了，开车小心点。Tiān hēi le, kāichē xiǎoxīn diǎn.It's getting dark, drive carefully.
- 到了家给我打电话，开车小心。Dào le jiā gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà, kāichē xiǎoxīn.Call me when you get home, drive safely.
Example conversation
A man is leaving his apartment to drive home after a dinner date.
- 佳怡 Jiayi今天很开心，再见。Jīntiān hěn kāixīn, zàijiàn.I had a great time today, goodbye.
- 浩然 Haoran我也很开心，再见。Wǒ yě hěn kāixīn, zàijiàn.I had a great time too, goodbye.
- 佳怡 Jiayi路况不好，开车小心。Lùkuàng bù hǎo, kāichē xiǎoxīn.The road conditions are bad, drive safely.
- 浩然 Haoran好的，我会的。Hǎo de, wǒ huì de.Okay, I will.
