‘拉链’ (lā liàn) is a compound noun meaning ‘zipper’ — the sliding fastener commonly found on jackets, pants, bags, and other clothing or accessories. The first character 拉 (lā) means ‘to pull’, reflecting the action required to open or close the device; the second character 链 (liàn) means ‘chain’, referring to the interlocking teeth that form a continuous track. Together, they literally convey ‘pull-chain’, capturing both function and structure.

This word is neutral in register and widely used across spoken and written Mandarin. It appears frequently in everyday contexts — from shopping for clothes to describing broken hardware — and is understood by all age groups. Unlike English, which sometimes uses ‘zip’ informally, Chinese consistently uses 拉链 for both general and technical references, with no common abbreviated form. It’s a countable noun: you can say 一个拉链 (yī gè lā liàn) for ‘a zipper’ or 多个拉链 (duō gè lā liàn) for ‘multiple zippers’.