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摩天大楼 (mó tiān dà lóu) — skyscraper

Definition

noun
skyscraper
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 摩天大楼。
    Shàng hǎi yǒu hěn duō mó tiān dà lóu.
    Shanghai has many skyscrapers.
  • 摩天大楼。
    Zhè zuò mó tiān dà lóu yǒu bā shí céng.
    This skyscraper has eighty floors.
  • 摩天大楼。
    Cóng mó tiān dà lóu de dǐng céng kě yǐ kàn dào zhěng gè chéng shì.
    From the top floor of the skyscraper, you can see the whole city.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

摩天touch the sky
摩mótouch天tiānsky
动宾Verb + object
大楼large building
大dàlarge楼lóubuilding
偏正Modifier + head

摩天 means 'touching the sky' and 大楼 means 'large building', together a building that touches the sky.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má摩mó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

摩 combines 手 (hand) with 麻; the hand part relates to the meaning, and 麻 gives the sound.

Open 摩 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樓; 楼 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
婁
婁lóu樓lóu
Same sound today

The traditional form 樓 pairs 木 (tree) with 婁 as its sound part; the simplified 楼 is a later shorthand.

Open 楼 →
Appears in
Buildings & Structures

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