三蹦子

sānbèngzi

noun

Measure Word

一辆三蹦子 liàng

Meanings

1 (colloq.) three-wheeled motorized cart
2 tuk-tuk
3 motorized tricycle

Characters

to bounce, bounce-bounce sound

Examples

村口大爷开着三蹦子来接我。

Cūnkǒu dàyé kāi zhe sānbèngzi lái jiē wǒ.

The old man at the village entrance came to pick me up in his three-wheeler.

城里不让三蹦子上路。

Chéng lǐ bù ràng sānbèngzi shànglù.

Three-wheelers aren't allowed on city streets.

这种三蹦子在东北特别常见。

Zhè zhǒng sānbèngzi zài dōngběi tèbié chángjiàn.

These three-wheelers are very common in northeastern China.

Tips

register

Colloquial northern Chinese term, more neutral name is 三轮摩托车. Went viral in 2024 after American tourists bought 三蹦子 in China and shipped them home, making the term briefly international.

memory

蹦 means 'to bounce' — the three-wheeler is named for the bouncy ride and its bang-bang-bang engine sound.

Stroke Order

三 sān

蹦 bèng

子 zǐ