洗衣 (xǐ yī) literally means 'to wash clothes' — combining 洗 (xǐ), meaning 'to wash', and 衣 (yī), meaning 'clothing' or 'garment'. As a compound verb, it refers to the entire activity of doing laundry: sorting, washing, rinsing, and sometimes drying clothes. It’s commonly used in everyday spoken and written Chinese to describe this routine household task.

The term is neutral in register and appears frequently in contexts like scheduling chores, discussing household responsibilities, or describing daily habits. While it can be used on its own as a verb (e.g., 我要洗衣), it often appears with aspect particles (e.g., 洗了、正在洗) or in noun-like phrases such as 洗衣机 (washing machine) or 洗衣房 (laundromat). Unlike some verbs, 洗衣 is not typically reduplicated and rarely takes an object — you wouldn’t say *洗衣衣服*; the object is implied by the compound itself.