How to Say "Laundry" in Chinese

洗衣服

xǐ yīfu

In Chinese, laundry is expressed as 洗衣服 (xǐ yīfu).

The term 洗衣服 is the standard way to express the concept of washing clothes or the act of doing laundry in everyday conversation.

Meaning: that which needs to be laundered (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the verb 洗 (xǐ), meaning 'to wash' and the noun 衣服 (yīfu), meaning 'clothes'.

xǐ yīfu

The word 洗 (xǐ) is used for laundry, but it is also the same character used for 'washing' your brain in the phrase 洗脑 (xǐnǎo), meaning 'brainwashing'.
In traditional Chinese culture, there is a strong custom of hanging 衣服 to dry in the sun rather than using a dryer. This is believed to 'kill germs' and provide the clothes with 'yang' energy.
The character 衣 (yī) in 衣服 was originally a pictogram of a robe. Over centuries, it evolved from a drawing of a garment into the stylized character used today in 洗衣服.

洗衣服是我的工作。
Doing the laundry is my job.
This sentence shows how to describe laundry as a job.
Tatoeba #4844742 by pig8322, translation #4837277 by AlanF_US
天气好的时候我会去洗衣服。
I'm doing the laundry while the weather is good.
This sentence illustrates doing laundry when the weather is good.
Tatoeba #14042766 by KUI, translation #14042176 by CuteGirlLeia
趁还有太阳的时候，我该洗衣服。
I have to do laundry while it's still sunny.
This sentence is useful for expressing the need to do laundry while the sun is out.
Tatoeba #503057 by fucongcong, translation #2035 by AlanF_US
你好，请问附近有洗衣店吗？(Nǐ hǎo, qǐng wèn fù jìn yǒu xǐ yī diàn ma?)
Hello, excuse me, is there a laundromat nearby?
我们公司附近有很多洗衣店，很方便。(Wǒmen gōngsī fùjìn yǒu hěnduō xǐ yī diàn, hěn fāngbiàn.)
There are many laundromats near our company, very convenient.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Zihan and Haoran are talking about household chores.

梓涵 Zihan

这些洗衣服怎么还没干？
Zhèxiē xǐyīfu zěnme hái méi gān?
Why isn't this laundry dry yet?
浩然 Haoran

因为今天天气太潮湿了。
Yīnwèi jīntiān tiānqì tài cháoshī le.
Because the weather is too humid today.
梓涵 Zihan

那我们要把洗衣服搬进屋里。
Nà wǒmen yào bǎ xǐyīfu bān jìn wū lǐ.
Then we need to move the laundry inside.
浩然 Haoran

好的，梓涵，我现在就去。
Hǎo de, Zǐhán, wǒ xiànzài jiù qù.
Okay, Zihan, I'll go right now.

Sources

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