Glossary
Place Names & Cycling Vocabulary
The Chinese place names and a few recurring words from the trip, with pinyin for pronunciation.
Places along the route
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 台北 | táiběi | Taipei |
| 新竹 | xīnzhú | Hsinchu |
| 台中 | táizhōng | Taichung |
| 嘉義 | jiāyì | Chiayi |
| 高雄 | gāoxióng | Kaohsiung |
| 恆春 | héngchūn | Hengchun |
| 知本 | zhīběn | Zhiben |
| 瑞穗 | ruìsuì | Ruisui |
| 花蓮 | huālián | Hualien |
| 礁溪 | jiāoxī | Jiaoxi |
Words to know
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 環島 | huándǎo | Ride around Taiwan |
| 地瓜 | dìguā | Sweet potato — Taiwan's shape-based nickname; finishing the Huandao is jokingly called “riding the whole sweet potato” |
| 番薯 | fānshǔ | Sweet potato — the Taiwanese/Hoklo term for the same nickname, tied to local identity |
| 寶島 | bǎodǎo | “Treasure Island” — a common affectionate nickname for Taiwan |
| 福爾摩沙 | fú'ěrmóshā | Formosa — the historical “beautiful island” name for Taiwan |
| 捷安特 | jiéāntè | Giant, the bicycle company that ran the tour |
| 腳踏車 | jiǎotàchē | Bicycle |
| 鐵馬 | tiěmǎ | “Iron horse” — an old, still-common slang term for bicycle |
| 電輔車 | diànfǔchē | E-bike (electric-assist bicycle) |
| 單車旅行 | dānchē lǚxíng | Bike touring |
| 自行車道 | zìxíngchē dào | Bike path |
| 河濱自行車道 | hébīn zìxíngchē dào | Riverside bike path |
| 補給 | bǔjǐ | Food and drink stop |
| 補水 | bǔshuǐ | Refill water |
| 補胎 | bǔtāi | Repair a flat tire |
| 爆胎 | bàotāi | Flat tire |
| 打氣 | dǎqì | Inflate a tire |
| 打卡 | dǎkǎ | Check in at a scenic spot |
| 上坡 | shàngpō | Climb |
| 爬坡 | pápō | Climbing a hill |
| 長坡 | chángpō | Long climb |
| 陡坡 | dǒupō | Steep climb |
| 下坡 | xiàpō | Descent |
| 順風 | shùnfēng | Tailwind |
| 逆風 | nìfēng | Headwind |
| 側風 | cèfēng | Crosswind |
| 配速 | pèisù | Pace |
| 放慢速度 | fàngmàn sùdù | Slow down |
| 輕鬆騎 | qīngsōng qí | Easy ride |
| 巡航速度 | xúnháng sùdù | Cruising speed |
| 休息一下 | xiūxi yíxià | Take a break |
| 騎多遠？ | qí duō yuǎn? | How far are you riding? |
| 還有幾公里？ | hái yǒu jǐ gōnglǐ? | How many kilometers left? |
| 今天騎到哪裡？ | jīntiān qí dào nǎlǐ? | Where are you riding today? |
| 今天住哪裡？ | jīntiān zhù nǎlǐ? | Where are you staying tonight? |
| 民宿 | mínsù | Guesthouse |
| 青年旅館 | qīngnián lǚguǎn | Hostel |
| 單車友善 | dānchē yǒushàn | Bike friendly |
| 單車停放區 | dānchē tíngfàng qū | Bicycle parking |
| 超商 | chāoshāng | Convenience store |
| 超商補給 | chāoshāng bǔjǐ | Convenience store snack stop |
| 車店 | chēdiàn | Bike shop |
| 車友 | chēyǒu | Fellow cyclist |
| 車隊 | chēduì | Cycling group |
| 揪團 | jiūtuán | Organize a group ride |
| 一起騎 | yìqǐ qí | Ride together |
| 安全第一 | ānquán dìyī | Safety first |
| 慢慢騎 | mànmàn qí | Ride easy |
| 順順騎 | shùnshùn qí | Ride smoothly |
| 一路平安 | yílù píng'ān | Have a safe ride |
| 加油！ | jiāyóu! | Keep going! You've got this! |
| 辛苦了！ | xīnkǔ le! | Nice work! Thanks for the effort! |
| 廟 | miào | Temple — Taoist or Confucian, a common rest stop |
| 溫泉 | wēnquán | Hot spring |
| 好天氣 | hǎo tiānqì | Great riding weather |
| 下雨 | xià yǔ | Raining |
| 雨衣 | yǔyī | Rain jacket |
| 看海 | kàn hǎi | Enjoy the ocean view |
| 看日出 | kàn rìchū | Watch the sunrise |
| 看日落 | kàn rìluò | Watch the sunset |
Cyclist sayings
Phrases you'll actually hear on a group ride in Taiwan.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 騎完整顆地瓜 | qí wán zhěng kē dìguā | Rode the whole sweet potato — finished the full Huandao loop. |
| 今天佛系騎 | jīntiān fóxì qí | Today we're taking it easy. |
| 今天咖啡騎 | jīntiān kāfēi qí | Casual ride with lots of café stops. |
| 今天吃貨騎 | jīntiān chīhuò qí | Ride centered around great food. |
| 有坡就有風景 | yǒu pō jiù yǒu fēngjǐng | Every climb comes with a view. |
| 山頂見 | shāndǐng jiàn | See you at the summit. |
| 先補給再說 | xiān bǔjǐ zài shuō | Food first, everything else later. |
| 7-11集合 | qī-shíyī jíhé | Meet at the 7-Eleven — a classic Taiwan cycling phrase. |
| 全家補水 | quánjiā bǔshuǐ | Refill water at FamilyMart. |
| 慢慢騎比較快 | mànmàn qí bǐjiào kuài | Ride steadily, you'll get there sooner. |
| 今天逆風 | jīntiān nìfēng | Today is all headwind. |
| 下坡爽 | xiàpō shuǎng | Descending feels amazing. |
| 不趕時間 | bù gǎn shíjiān | No rush today. |
| 騎得開心最重要 | qí de kāixīn zuì zhòngyào | Having fun is what matters. |
| 今天收工 | jīntiān shōugōng | We're done riding for today. |
| 明天繼續 | míngtiān jìxù | We'll keep riding tomorrow. |