(hóng shuǐ) - flood, flooding in Mandarin
hóngshuǐTraditional: 洪水
Translation
flood, flooding
Stroke order
洪
水
Examples
。
This village had a serious flood last year.
。
The flood destroyed many houses.
，涨，。
After heavy rain, the river rose sharply and caused flooding.
。
The government is helping residents affected by the flooding.
，。
When the flood came, everyone was very frightened.
洪水 (hóngshuǐ) means "flood" or "flooding". 洪 (hóng) on its own means "vast, flood-like" and 水 (shuǐ) is simply "water", so the compound is a fairly transparent "vast water".
It is standard vocabulary for news about natural disasters: 发生洪水 (fāshēng hóngshuǐ), "a flood occurs", and 引发洪水 (yǐnfā hóngshuǐ), "to trigger a flood", are the collocations that show up around weather and disaster reporting, usually alongside 大雨 (dàyǔ), "heavy rain", as the cause.
洪水 (hóngshuǐ) names the event itself rather than everyday standing water, so it is not the word for a puddle or a flooded bathroom floor - those would use 淹水 (yānshuǐ), "to be flooded/waterlogged", instead. 洪水 (hóngshuǐ) is reserved for the larger, more dangerous kind of flood that damages homes and land.
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洪水: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "洪水" (flood, flooding): 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.