刹车 shāchē to brake (when driving)
to brake (when driving); to stop; to switch off; to check (bad habits); a brake
How to remember 刹车: 刹 temple + 车 car = to brake (when driving).
Characters
How it is used
- Both the verb 'to brake' and the noun 'brakes' - 快刹车 (kuài shāchē) brake quickly, 刹车失灵 (shāchē shīlíng) the brakes failed.
- A separable verb: you can say 刹了一脚车 (shāle yì jiǎo chē) hit the brakes once.
- Figuratively means to halt something abruptly - 给这个项目刹车 (gěi zhège xiàngmù shāchē) put the brakes on this project. Note the reading shā, not chà.
Example sentences
- 他撞车是因为有人在刹车上做了手脚。 Tā zhuàngchē shìyīnwèi yǒurén zài shāchē shàng zuò le shǒujiǎo.He crashed his car because someone tampered with the brakes.
- 除非他们事先修好刹车，我才会买车子。 Chúfēi tāmen shìxiān xiūhǎo shāchē, wǒ cái huì mǎi chēzi.I'll only buy the car if they fix the brakes first.