电梯

• Pinyin: diàn tī
• Hanzi breakdown: 电 = lightning/electricity; 梯 = 木 (wood) + 弟 (phonetic component)

Meaning

Elevator; lift. A machine that carries people or goods between floors in a building.

Covers both vertical elevators in buildings and escalators in shopping centres or metro stations. For clarity, a vertical elevator may be called 直梯 and an escalator 扶梯 or 自动扶梯, but 电梯 is used as a general term for both.

Examples

1. 这栋楼的电梯正在维修，我们走楼梯吧。 The elevator in this building is being repaired — let's take the stairs.
2. 请问电梯在哪边？我要去十二楼。 Excuse me, where is the elevator? I need to go to the twelfth floor.
3. 上下班高峰的时候电梯总是很挤。 The elevator is always crowded during rush hour.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, building

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我们坐电梯上去吧。(Let's take the elevator up.)
• 电梯里不要乱按按钮。(Don't press buttons randomly in the elevator.)

Don't Say

• 把扶梯叫'电梯'而造成误解 (When giving directions, don't use 电梯 ambiguously — specify 直梯 for elevator or 扶梯 for escalator if both are nearby)

Origin & History

Compound of 电 (electricity) and 梯 (ladder, stairs). Literally 'electric ladder,' describing a machine that carries people up and down like powered stairs.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal