verb / preposition HSK 3
to ride · to take (transportation) · to multiply · to take advantage of
Meaning
乘 is a versatile word primarily meaning to ride or board a vehicle. It's the standard way to say you're taking a bus, train, plane, or other form of transportation. The character also means to multiply in mathematics and can mean to take advantage of an opportunity.
Usage
Native speakers use 乘 in formal or written contexts when talking about transportation. In spoken Mandarin, 坐 is more common for most vehicles. 乘 is standard in math contexts for multiplication and appears in formal phrases like 乘机 (to seize an opportunity).
Examples
- 01我每天乘地铁上班。.I take the subway to work every day.
- 02三乘五等于十五。.Three times five equals fifteen.
Measure words
- 次乘一次火车
Common collocations
- 乘坐to take (transport)
- 乘车to take a vehicle
- 乘机to take a plane; to seize an opportunity
- 乘法multiplication
Origin
The character depicts a person climbing up into a tree, which extended to mean mounting or boarding something, then riding vehicles.