自行车

自行车 (zìxíngchē) is the standard Mainland Mandarin noun for 'bicycle.' Literally 'self-going vehicle,' it covers any human-powered two-wheeled bike. The measure word is 辆 (liàng), used for all wheeled vehicles: 一辆自行车 ('one bicycle'). Two things for learners.

First, regional variation matters: 自行车 dominates in Mainland, 脚踏车 (jiǎotàchē) is common in Taiwan, and 单车 (dānchē) is the everyday Cantonese-influenced word. All three are understood across the Chinese-speaking world, but Mainland textbooks teach 自行车 first. Second, the verb 'to ride a bike' is 骑自行车 (qí zìxíngchē) — 骑 is the verb for straddling animals or two-wheelers (you 骑 a horse or a bike, but you 开 a car). For electric bikes, modern usage adds 电动 — 电动自行车 (diàndòng zìxíngchē).