高楼大厦 (gāo lóu dà shà) — tall buildings and large mansions; high-rises and skyscrapers (describing a modern urban landscape)

Definition

A set phrase (idiom) meaning 'tall buildings and grand mansions' — used to evoke a modern, prosperous cityscape.

idiom
tall buildings and large mansionshigh-rises and skyscrapers (describing a modern urban landscape)

Examples

  • 高楼大厦，。
    Shàng hǎi pǔ dōng yǒu hěn duō gāo lóu dà shà, fēi cháng zhuàng guān.
    Shanghai's Pudong has many skyscrapers; it's very spectacular.
  • ，高楼大厦。
    Zhàn zài shān dǐng shàng, nǐ néng kàn dào yuǎn chù de gāo lóu dà shà.
    Standing on the mountaintop, you can see the tall buildings in the distance.
  • 高楼大厦，。
    Zhè zuò chéng shì dào chù dōu shì gāo lóu dà shà, chōng mǎn le xiàn dài qì xī.
    This city is full of high-rises everywhere, brimming with a modern atmosphere.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

高楼tall building
高gāohigh楼lóubuilding
偏正Modifier + head
大厦large mansion
大dàlarge厦shàmansion
偏正Modifier + head

高楼 means tall buildings and 大厦 means large mansions, so they picture many high-rise buildings.

Characters in this word

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

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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 →

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 廈; 厦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎng
Sound part声符shēngfú
夏
夏xià廈shà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 廈 pairs 广, which contributes the building sense, with 夏, which gives the sound and also means 'great'; the simplified 厦 is a later shorthand.

Open 厦 →

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