公共汽车
Traditional: 公共汽車
gōng gòng qì chē HSK 2

English Meaning

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📚 Example Sentences

我坐公共汽车。
Wǒ zuò gōnggòngqìchē.
I take the bus.
公共汽车来了。
Gōnggòngqìchē lái le.
The bus is coming.
公共汽车很慢。
Gōnggòngqìchē hěn màn.
The bus is very slow.
这座城市的公共交通非常方便。
Zhè zuò chéngshì de gōnggòng jiāotōng fēicháng fāngbiàn.
The public transit is very convenient in this city.
我每天早上乘公共汽车去上班。
Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang chéng gōnggòng qìchē qù shàngbān.
I take the bus to work every morning.

💡 Memory Tip

Break it down: 公共 (public) + 汽车 (car/vehicle) = 'public vehicle'. Remember it as the vehicle that serves the公共 (public community).

📝 Usage Notes

This is a standard, neutral term used in both formal and informal contexts across spoken and written Chinese. It's slightly more formal than the abbreviated '公交车' but completely interchangeable in most situations.

📖 Grammar Points

Typically used with transportation verbs: 坐/乘/搭/赶/等/错过 + 公共汽车. Can be modified: 早班公共汽车, 空调公共汽车, 双层公共汽车.

🏯 Cultural Notes

Public buses remain a primary transportation mode in Chinese cities despite metro expansion. Bus culture includes rush hour crowding, designated senior/disabled seats, and mobile payment integration. Traditional paper tickets have largely been replaced by card/QR code payments.

🔄 Similar Words

公交车 (more colloquial abbreviation), 巴士 (loanword from English 'bus', common in southern China/Hong Kong), 大巴 (larger coach/bus), 中巴 (minibus)

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