垃圾车
lājī chē
The English phrase "garbage truck" is translated into Mandarin as 垃圾车 (lājī chē).
Meaning: waste collection vehicle (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 垃圾 (lājī), meaning 'garbage/waste' and 车 (chē), meaning 'vehicle/car'.
Which one should you use?
While 垃圾车 is the common term, 垃圾收集车 (lājī shōují chē) is a more formal and technical term for a waste collection vehicle used in official or municipal contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
lājī chē
Did you know?
- The word for 'garbage', 垃圾, is a fascinating phonetic loanword. It is pronounced 'lājī' in most parts of China, but in many southern regions and Taiwan, it is often pronounced 'lèsè', making the pronunciation vary wildly depending on local dialect.
- In many Chinese residential communities, the arrival of the 垃圾车 is signaled by a loud, rhythmic musical jingle. This serves as a functional 'audio cue' to notify residents to bring their bags out to the curb immediately.
- In certain traditional contexts, the concept of removing 'waste' is tied to the phrase 除旧迎新 (chú jiù yíng xīn), meaning 'remove the old to welcome the new', which drives the massive surge in 垃圾车 activity before the Lunar New Year.
Examples in context
- 今天街道上的垃圾车非常高效。Today, the garbage trucks on the streets are very efficient.
- 我听到垃圾车的声音了，该倒垃圾了。I heard the garbage truck sound, it's time to take out the trash.
- 每天早晨，垃圾车会准时来收集垃圾。Every morning, the garbage truck comes to collect the trash on time.
- 那辆垃圾车被堵在了拥堵的交通中。The garbage truck got stuck in heavy traffic.
- 垃圾车司机每天负责清理城市的垃圾。The garbage truck driver is responsible for cleaning the city's trash every day.
- 外面有一辆垃圾车。Wàimiàn yǒu yī liàng lājīchē.There is a garbage truck outside.
- 垃圾车正在路上。Lājīchē zhèngzài lùshàng.The garbage truck is on its way.
Example conversation
At a residential compound in the morning.
- 浩然 Haoran雨婷，你听到垃圾车的声音了吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ tīngdào lājīchē de shēngyīn le ma?Yuting, did you hear the sound of the garbage truck?
- 雨婷 Yuting听到了，浩然，快把垃圾拿出来。Tīngdào le, Hàorán, kuài bǎ lājī ná chūlái.I heard it, Haoran, quickly bring the trash out.
- 浩然 Haoran垃圾车快到门口了。Lājīchē kuài dào ménkǒu le.The garbage truck is almost at the entrance.
- 雨婷 Yuting好的，我现在就去。Hǎo de, wǒ xiànzài jiù qù.Okay, I'm going now.
