Meaning
垃圾箱 refers to any container designed for disposing of waste or garbage. It encompasses both indoor trash cans and outdoor garbage bins. The word literally combines 垃圾 (garbage/trash) with 箱 (box/container), making its meaning transparent and easy to remember.
Usage
This is the standard, neutral term for a trash receptacle in both mainland China and Taiwan. It can refer to bins of any size, from small office wastebaskets to large public garbage containers. In everyday speech, people might also say 垃圾桶 (lā jī tǒng), which is equally common and essentially interchangeable, though 桶 emphasizes a bucket or barrel shape while 箱 suggests a box shape.
Examples
- 01请把废纸扔进垃圾箱里。.Please throw the waste paper into the trash can.
- 02这个公园的垃圾箱太少了。.This park has too few garbage bins.
Characters
Measure words
- 个一个垃圾箱
- 只两只垃圾箱
Common collocations
- 扔进垃圾箱throw into the trash can
- 倒垃圾箱empty the trash can
- 分类垃圾箱sorted waste bins, recycling bins
Origin
垃圾 is a compound word where both characters only appear together in modern usage to mean garbage or trash. 箱 originally meant a wooden box or chest and extends naturally to any box-like container.