电脑

電腦
diànnǎo
noun HSK 1 #957

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 computer

Characters

Literally "electric brain" — a wonderfully vivid way to describe a computer.

Examples

Wǒ de diànnǎo hěn màn.
My computer is very slow.
Nǐ huì yòng diànnǎo ma?
Do you know how to use a computer?
Tā mǎi le yī tái xīn diànnǎo.
He bought a new computer.

Tips

culture
The Chinese term 电脑 ("electric brain") reflects a more literal naming style than English. Compare with 电话 ("electric speech" = telephone) and 电视 ("electric vision" = television).
usage
电脑 usually refers to desktop or laptop computers. For smartphones and tablets, Chinese uses 手机 (phone) and 平板 (tablet) instead.

In Pop Culture

联想 Liánxiǎng
Lenovo
China's largest PC manufacturer, world's biggest PC vendor

Stroke Order

diàn
nǎo