(hóng lǜ dēng) - traffic lights in Mandarin
hónglǜdēngTraditional: 紅綠燈
Translation
traffic lights
Stroke order
红
绿
灯
Examples
。
There are traffic lights ahead.
，。
The lights have changed, you can cross now.
。
Please turn left at the traffic lights.
。
The traffic lights at this junction are broken.
。
The supermarket is just past the traffic lights.
红绿灯 (hónglǜdēng) means "traffic lights". It is a wonderfully literal compound: 红 (hóng) "red", 绿 (lǜ) "green" and 灯 (dēng) "light", so it is simply "red-green light(s)", named after the two colours everyone actually watches for, with amber left unmentioned.
It is one of the most useful words for getting around on foot or by car: 在红绿灯右转 (zài hónglǜdēng yòu zhuǎn), "turn right at the traffic lights", and 红绿灯坏了 (hónglǜdēng huài le), "the traffic lights are broken", both come up constantly when giving or following directions.
A more formal, written alternative is 交通信号灯 (jiāotōng xìnhàodēng), "traffic signal light", which turns up on official signage and in traffic regulations, but 红绿灯 (hónglǜdēng) is what everyone actually says out loud.
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红绿灯: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "红绿灯" (traffic lights): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 109.