下楼

• Pinyin: xià lóu
• Hanzi breakdown: 下 = pictograph pointing downward; 楼 = 木 (wood) + 娄 (phonetic) — multi-storey wooden building

Meaning

To go downstairs; to come down from an upper floor.

A directional verb compound commonly used in everyday life in buildings with multiple floors. Often combined with directional complements: 下楼来 (come down here), 下楼去 (go down there). Opposite: 上楼 (go upstairs).

Examples

1. 妈妈叫我下楼吃饭，我马上就去。 Mum called me to come downstairs for dinner, and I'll be right there.
2. 他提着行李慢慢地下楼去停车场。 He slowly carried his luggage downstairs to the car park.
3. 电梯坏了，我们只能走楼梯下楼。 The lift was broken, so we had to take the stairs to go downstairs.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, home

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 快下楼，出租车到了！(Come downstairs quickly, the taxi has arrived!)
• 他每天早上下楼去买早餐。(He goes downstairs every morning to buy breakfast.)

Don't Say

• 把下楼用于描述从山上或地面走下来的动作。(Don't use 下楼 for descending from a mountain or ground-level steps — use 下山 for a mountain, and 下台阶 or 下楼梯 for steps/staircases.)

Origin & History

Directional verb compound of 下 (down/descend) and 楼 (building/floor), meaning 'to go down the building.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal