汽船 (qì chuán) literally means 'steam ship' — 汽 (qì) means 'steam' or 'vapor', and 船 (chuán) means 'boat' or 'ship'. Together, they refer to a vessel powered by a steam engine, historically significant in maritime transportation from the 19th to mid-20th century. Though largely replaced by diesel and turbine-powered ships today, 汽船 remains the standard term for 'steamship' in Chinese and appears frequently in historical texts, literature, and museum exhibits.

The word is neutral in register and used in both formal and informal contexts when referring to historical or technical aspects of shipping. It’s not used for modern passenger ferries or cruise ships unless specifically describing their propulsion method or evoking a vintage aesthetic. In compound terms like 汽船公司 (steamship company) or 汽船时代 (steamship era), it carries strong connotations of industrial progress and global trade expansion.