摩天楼 (mó tiān lóu) — skyscraper

Definition

noun
skyscraper
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 摩天楼。
    Zhè zuò chéng shì yǒu hěn duō mó tiān lóu.
    This city has many skyscrapers.
  • 摩天楼。
    Zuì gāo de mó tiān lóu yǒu wǔ bǎi duō mǐ gāo.
    The tallest skyscraper is over 500 meters tall.
  • 摩天楼。
    Tā zài zhè dòng mó tiān lóu de dǐng céng gōng zuò.
    He works on the top floor of this skyscraper.

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touching the sky
摩mótouch天tiānsky
动宾Verb + object
楼lóubuilding

摩天 means touching the sky and 楼 means building, together describing a building that reaches toward 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 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.