‘网站’ (wǎng zhàn) literally means ‘net station’ — ‘网’ (wǎng) means ‘net’ or ‘network’, and ‘站’ (zhàn) means ‘station’ or ‘stop’. Together, they refer to a collection of web pages hosted on the internet under a single domain name — what English speakers call a ‘website’. It’s a compound noun formed by combining two concrete nouns to describe a digital location where information, services, or content is accessed.

This word is used in everyday modern Chinese across formal and informal contexts — from tech discussions and online shopping to education and government services. Unlike older terms like ‘网页’ (wǎng yè, ‘web page’), ‘网站’ emphasizes the entire site as a functional entity. It’s neutral in register and commonly appears with verbs like ‘访问’ (visit), ‘创建’ (create), ‘浏览’ (browse), or ‘设计’ (design).