爬山
to climb a mountain; hiking
páshān
What does 爬山 mean?
爬山 (páshān) is a verb-object compound meaning to climb a mountain or go hiking. It's the standard everyday word for any uphill walking activity — from a leisurely Sunday hike to a serious peak ascent. Because it's a verb + object (爬 = climb, 山 = mountain), you can split it: 爬过两次山 ('climbed [a/the] mountain twice'), 爬什么山 ('what mountain are you climbing'). Two notes for English speakers: first, 爬山 doesn't necessarily mean technical rock climbing — for that, Chinese uses 攀岩 (pānyán).
爬山 includes ordinary hiking up a hill or trail. Second, the activity is hugely popular in Chinese culture, tied to scenic spots, festivals (重阳节, Double Ninth), and weekend leisure. Asking 周末去爬山吗？('want to go hiking this weekend?') is a normal friendly invitation.
Character breakdown
to climb; crawl
mountain; hill
Memory hook: Climb + mountain = climb-mountain = go hiking.
Example sentences
周末我们去爬山吧。
Zhōumò wǒmen qù páshān ba.
Let's go hiking this weekend.
spoken
我喜欢爬山，也喜欢游泳。
Wǒ xǐhuan páshān, yě xǐhuan yóuyǒng.
I like hiking and swimming.
neutral
爬山的时候要多喝水。
Páshān de shíhou yào duō hē shuǐ.
You should drink lots of water while hiking.
neutral
我从来没爬过山。
Wǒ cónglái méi páguo shān.
I've never climbed a mountain.
spoken
他每个星期天都去爬山。
Tā měi ge xīngqītiān dōu qù páshān.
He goes hiking every Sunday.
neutral
Common phrases with 爬山
Synonyms
登山 is more formal and suggests serious mountaineering or an organized ascent (登山队 = mountaineering team). 爬山 is the casual everyday word for hiking. Friends going up a hill use 爬山; an expedition uses 登山.
徒步 means 'hiking / trekking' on foot, often on flatter trails or long-distance walks. 爬山 specifically involves going up. A flat trail hike is 徒步, not 爬山.
Don't confuse 爬山 with
爬 alone means 'to climb / crawl' and needs an object: 爬树 (climb a tree), 爬楼梯 (climb stairs), 爬山 (climb a mountain). Don't say 我喜欢爬 — say 我喜欢爬山.
上山 means 'go up the mountain' as a direction of travel — by foot, car, or cable car. 爬山 specifically means climbing it as recreation. Taking a cable car up is 上山, not 爬山.