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跳楼 (tiào lóu) — to jump off a building (to commit suicide or deliberately fall); (figurative) to slash prices drastically, to offer deep discounts

Definition

Literally 'jump off a building', used for the act of suicide by jumping. In commerce it figuratively means slashing prices drastically, as if 'throwing oneself off a building' in desperation.

verb
to jump off a building (to commit suicide or deliberately fall)(figurative) to slash prices drasticallyto offer deep discounts

Examples

  • 跳楼。
    Tā cóng èr shí céng lóu shàng tiào lóu le.
    He jumped off the twentieth floor.
  • ，跳楼。
    Zhè jiā diàn qīng cāng, suǒ yǒu shāng pǐn quán bù tiào lóu.
    This store is having a clearance sale, all items are drastically marked down.
  • ，。
    Tā qù nián tiào le yí cì lóu, xìng hǎo bèi jiù le xià lái.
    He jumped off a building last year, but luckily he was rescued.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

跳tiàojump
楼lóubuilding

跳 (jump) and 楼 (building) form the act of jumping from a building.

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
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
兆
兆zhào跳tiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

跳 pairs 足 (foot) with 兆, which supplies the sound; the foot part shows the action is done with the feet.

Open 跳 →

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
Safety & Danger

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