河流

héliú

noun HSK 7-9 #8,737

Measure Word

一条河流 tiáo

Meanings

1 river; stream
2 rivers (collectively)

Characters

to flow; current; stream

Examples

这条河流流经三个省。

Zhè tiáo héliú liújīng sān gè shěng.

This river flows through three provinces.

工厂污染了附近的河流。

Gōngchǎng wūrǎn le fùjìn de héliú.

The factory polluted the nearby rivers.

中国有很多大河流。

Zhōngguó yǒu hěnduō dàhé liú.

China has many large rivers.

Tips

usage

河流 is the general/formal term for rivers. In everyday speech, 河 (hé) alone is more common. 江 (jiāng) is used for major rivers like 长江 (Yangtze) and 黑龙江 (Heilongjiang). Generally, 江 implies larger than 河.

Stroke Order

河 hé

流 liú