航班

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hángbān: 航班 - Scheduled Flight, Flight Number

Quick Summary

  • Keywords: 航班, hángbān, Chinese for flight, scheduled flight, flight number, airport Chinese, travel vocabulary, book a flight in Chinese, what flight are you on Chinese, China travel, flight delay Chinese.
  • Summary: Learn the essential Chinese travel word 航班 (hángbān), which means “scheduled flight” or “flight number.” This page will teach you how to use 航班 at the airport, when booking tickets, and in everyday conversation. Discover the difference between 航班 (hángbān) and a plane (飞机 fēijī), and master practical example sentences for everything from checking flight delays to asking for a flight number. This is your complete guide to talking about flights in Mandarin Chinese.

Core Meaning

  • Pinyin (with tone marks): hángbān
  • Part of Speech: Noun
  • HSK Level: HSK 3
  • Concise Definition: A scheduled flight, referring to the service or route, not the physical aircraft.
  • In a Nutshell: 航班 (hángbān) is the word you see on your ticket and on the departure board at the airport. It doesn't mean “airplane” (that's 飞机 fēijī). Instead, it refers to the scheduled service itself—the specific, numbered, and timed journey you book. Think of it like a bus route number, but for a plane. If your friend asks “What flight are you on?”, they are asking for your 航班.

Character Breakdown

  • 航 (háng): This character means “to navigate,” “to sail,” or “to fly.” It's made up of the radical 舟 (zhōu), which means “boat,” and a phonetic component. Originally related to water travel, its meaning has expanded to include air and space travel.
  • 班 (bān): This character means “class,” “team,” “shift,” or a scheduled run of a vehicle (like a bus or train). It conveys the idea of a group or a regularly scheduled event.
  • Combined Meaning: When you combine 航 (navigation/voyage) and 班 (scheduled run), you get 航班 (hángbān)—a “scheduled voyage,” which in modern context almost always means a scheduled flight.

Cultural Context and Significance

  • The Term of a Modern, Mobile China: While 航班 (hángbān) itself is not a deeply philosophical term, its widespread use is a direct reflection of modern China's incredible growth in domestic and international travel. The precision of the word—distinguishing the service from the vehicle—mirrors the systematic and large-scale organization of China's transportation infrastructure, from massive international airports to the world's largest high-speed rail network.
  • Comparison to “Flight” in English: In English, “flight” is a flexible word. You can say, “I'm booking a flight,” “The flight was bumpy,” or “My flight is UA857.” In Chinese, these concepts use different words.
    • Booking a flight: You book a 航班 (hángbān).
    • The flight experience: You would describe the 飞行 (fēixíng - the act of flying) or 旅途 (lǚtú - the journey).
    • The flight number: You are on 航班 (hángbān) UA857.
  • This precision makes 航班 (hángbān) a very practical and unambiguous term, crucial for navigating the busy and highly organized world of Chinese travel.

Practical Usage in Modern China

  • At the Airport: This is where you will see and use 航班 (hángbān) most. It's on departure/arrival boards (航班信息显示屏), on your boarding pass (登机牌), and used by airline staff.
    • Example: “请问，CA1832航班在哪个登机口？” (Excuse me, which gate is flight CA1832 at?)
  • Booking Travel: When you book a ticket online or with an agent, you are selecting a 航班 (hángbān).
    • Example: “我想订一个去北京的直飞航班。” (I'd like to book a direct flight to Beijing.)
  • Everyday Conversation: When discussing travel plans with friends, colleagues, or family.
    • Example: “你的航班是几点的？” (What time is your flight?)
  • Formality: The term is neutral and can be used in any context, from formal announcements to casual text messages. It is the standard, correct term.

Example Sentences

  • Example 1:
    • 我们的航班延误了。
    • Pinyin: Wǒmen de hángbān yánwù le.
    • English: Our flight is delayed.
    • Analysis: A very common and useful sentence at the airport. 延误 (yánwù) means “to delay.”
  • Example 2:
    • 请问您的航班号是多少？
    • Pinyin: Qǐngwèn nín de hángbānhào shì duōshǎo?
    • English: Excuse me, what is your flight number?
    • Analysis: 航班号 (hángbānhào) is even more specific, meaning “flight number.” This is a polite phrase you'd hear from airline staff.
  • Example 3:
    • 我需要预订明天去上海的航班。
    • Pinyin: Wǒ xūyào yùdìng míngtiān qù Shànghǎi de hángbān.
    • English: I need to book a flight to Shanghai for tomorrow.
    • Analysis: 预订 (yùdìng) means “to reserve” or “to book.” This is a key phrase for making travel arrangements.
  • Example 4:
    • 这是飞往纽约的最后一个航班。
    • Pinyin: Zhè shì fēiwǎng Niǔyuē de zuìhòu yí ge hángbān.
    • English: This is the last flight to New York.
    • Analysis: Shows how 航班 is used with a measure word, 个 (ge), and a destination. 飞往 (fēiwǎng) means “to fly towards.”
  • Example 5:
    • 他的航班什么时候到？
    • Pinyin: Tā de hángbān shénme shíhou dào?
    • English: When does his flight arrive?
    • Analysis: A simple and practical question for picking someone up from the airport. 到 (dào) means “to arrive.”
  • Example 6:
    • 由于天气原因，所有航班都被取消了。
    • Pinyin: Yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, suǒyǒu hángbān dōu bèi qǔxiāo le.
    • English: Due to weather reasons, all flights have been canceled.
    • Analysis: This sentence uses the passive voice with 被 (bèi). 取消 (qǔxiāo) means “to cancel.”
  • Example 7:
    • 这个航班是国航的。
    • Pinyin: Zhè ge hángbān shì Guóháng de.
    • English: This flight is an Air China flight.
    • Analysis: 国航 (Guóháng) is the common abbreviation for 中国国际航空公司 (Zhōngguó Guójì Hángkōng Gōngsī), or Air China. You can substitute other airline names here.
  • Example 8:
    • 我在网上查了一下航班信息。
    • Pinyin: Wǒ zài wǎngshàng chá le yíxià hángbān xìnxī.
    • English: I checked the flight information online.
    • Analysis: 查 (chá) means “to check” and 信息 (xìnxī) means “information.” A very modern and common activity.
  • Example 9:
    • 你最好提前两个小时到机场，以免错过航班。
    • Pinyin: Nǐ zuìhǎo tíqián liǎng ge xiǎoshí dào jīchǎng, yǐmiǎn cuòguò hángbān.
    • English: You had better get to the airport two hours early to avoid missing the flight.
    • Analysis: 错过 (cuòguò) is a key verb meaning “to miss” an opportunity or a scheduled event like a flight.
  • Example 10:
    • 我的航班是CZ3101，从北京飞往广州。
    • Pinyin: Wǒ de hángbān shì CZ sān yāo líng yāo, cóng Běijīng fēiwǎng Guǎngzhōu.
    • English: My flight is CZ3101, from Beijing to Guangzhou.
    • Analysis: Note that flight numbers are often read out digit by digit, and “one” is often read as yāo instead of yī to avoid confusion.

Nuances and Common Mistakes

  • `航班 (hángbān)` vs. `飞机 (fēijī)` - The #1 Mistake:
    • 航班 (hángbān) is the scheduled service/route.
    • 飞机 (fēijī) is the physical airplane.
    • You book a 航班. You fly on a 飞机.
    • Correct: 我的航班是下午三点。 (My flight is at 3 PM.)
    • Incorrect: 我的飞机很大。 (My airplane is big.) - This is grammatically correct but means the physical plane is large, not that your scheduled flight is “big”.
    • Incorrect: 我的航班很大。 (My flight is big.) - This is wrong. A scheduled service cannot have a physical size.
  • Describing the Journey:
    • Do not use 航班 to describe the quality of the journey itself (e.g., smooth, bumpy, long). Use 飞行 (fēixíng) for the act of flying or 旅途 (lǚtú) for the journey.
    • Correct: 这次飞行很平稳。 (This flight experience was very smooth.)
    • Incorrect: 这个航班很平稳。 (This scheduled service was very smooth.) - This sounds strange and illogical in Chinese.

Related Terms and Concepts

  • 飞机 (fēijī) - The airplane; the physical machine you fly in.
  • 机场 (jīchǎng) - The airport; where your flight departs from and arrives at.
  • 机票 (jīpiào) - The airplane ticket; the document that proves you booked a spot on the flight.
  • 航班号 (hángbānhào) - The flight number; the specific code for your flight (e.g., “CA981”).
  • 起飞 (qǐfēi) - To take off.
  • 降落 (jiàngluò) - To land.
  • 延误 (yánwù) - To be delayed; often used to describe a 航班.
  • 登机口 (dēngjīkǒu) - The boarding gate.
  • 航空公司 (hángkōng gōngsī) - The airline company (e.g., Air China, China Southern).
  • 直飞 (zhí fēi) - To fly direct; a direct flight. It can act as a verb or an adjective for 航班.