大楼

• Pinyin: dà lóu
• Hanzi breakdown: 大 = pictograph of a person with arms spread; 楼 = 木 (wood) + 娄 (phonetic component)

Meaning

Building; large multi-storey building. A tall or substantial structure.

Refers to large buildings, typically multi-storey commercial, office, or residential structures. Common in urban contexts. Often appears in building names (办公大楼, 教学大楼). Distinguished from 楼 alone, which can mean any building with floors or even just 'upstairs.'

Examples

1. 公司搬到了一栋新的写字大楼里。 The company moved into a new office building.
2. 这座大楼有三十层，是我们市最高的建筑。 This building has thirty floors and is the tallest structure in our city.
3. 大楼前面有一个很大的停车场。 There is a large car park in front of the building.

Usage Guide

Context: urban, everyday, work

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我在那栋大楼的第十五层上班。(I work on the 15th floor of that building.)
• 这座大楼是去年刚建好的。(This building was just completed last year.)

Don't Say

• 把平房叫做大楼 (Don't call a single-storey house a 大楼 — 大楼 implies a tall, multi-storey building; use 房子 for ordinary houses)

Origin & History

大 (big/large) + 楼 (multi-storey building) — a large building with multiple floors.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal