奔驰

奔馳

bēnchí

verb #8,792

Meanings

1 to run fast; to gallop; to speed
2 Mercedes-Benz (German luxury automaker)

Characters

to run; to rush

to gallop; to speed

Run + gallop — charging forward at full speed.

Examples

骏马在草原上奔驰。

Jùnmǎ zài cǎoyuán shàng bēnchí.

Fine horses gallop across the grassland.

他买了一辆奔驰。

Tā mǎi le yī liàng Bēnchí.

He bought a Mercedes-Benz.

列车在铁轨上奔驰。

Lièchē zài tiěguǐ shàng bēnchí.

The train speeds along the tracks.

Tips

register

As a verb meaning 'to gallop/speed,' 奔驰 is literary and poetic. In daily speech, people just say 跑 (pǎo) or 飞奔 (fēibēn). But as a brand name for Mercedes-Benz, it's extremely common.

culture

Mercedes-Benz adopted 奔驰 as its standalone Chinese name in 1986, when the company registered the trademark in mainland China — a brilliant pick because the characters literally mean 'galloping at full speed', matching the sporting luxury image. The full transliteration 梅赛德斯-奔驰 is used in formal contexts, but in everyday speech 奔驰 alone now means Mercedes.

In Pop Culture

梅赛德斯-奔驰 Méisàidésī-Bēnchí

Mercedes-Benz

German luxury car brand — Chinese name literally means 'galloping at full speed'

Stroke Order

奔 bēn

驰 chí