高铁

gāo tiě

high-speed train; high-speed rail

HSK Level 4

Example Sentences

我坐高铁去北京。

wǒ zuò gāotiě qù běijīng.

I take the high-speed train to Beijing.

高铁的速度很快。

gāotiě de sùdù hěn kuài.

The high-speed train is very fast.

高铁很方便。

gāotiě hěn fāngbiàn.

The high-speed train is very convenient.

Synonyms

动车 (dòngchē)

high-speed train

高速铁路 (gāosù tiělù)

high-speed railway

Antonyms

慢车 (màn chē)

slow train

绿皮火车 (lǜ pí huǒ chē)

green-skin train

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Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 高铁 (gāotiě) for "high-speed rail" is a compound of two characters: 高 (gāo), meaning "high," and 铁 (tiě), meaning "iron" or "metal." The term "high-speed rail" was coined in China in the 1990s to describe the country's ambitious plan to build a network of high-speed railways. The first high-speed rail line in China, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway, opened in 2008. Since then, China has built the world's largest high-speed rail network, with over 30,000 kilometers of track in operation. The term 高铁 has become synonymous with China's high-speed rail system and is widely used in both Chinese and English.