‘堵车’ literally means ‘blocked car’—the character 堵 (dǔ) means ‘to block’ or ‘to obstruct’, and 车 (chē) means ‘vehicle’ or ‘car’. Together, they form a compound noun meaning ‘traffic jam’—a common urban phenomenon where vehicles are stuck or moving extremely slowly due to high volume, accidents, roadwork, or poor traffic management. It’s used exclusively for road vehicle congestion, not for trains, planes, or pedestrians.

This word is neutral in register and appears frequently in daily conversation, news reports, weather/traffic apps, and social media. While it can be used as a noun (e.g., 今天堵车很严重), it may also function adverbially in informal speech (e.g., 我们堵车了 — ‘We’re stuck in traffic’). It’s rarely used in formal writing without modification (e.g., 交通拥堵 is more formal).