防盗门

• Pinyin: fáng dào mén
• Hanzi breakdown: 防 = 阝+ 方 (protective barrier); 盗 = 次 + 皿 (coveting what is in another's vessel — theft); 门 = two door-leaf strokes (a gate or entrance)

Meaning

Security door; anti-theft door. A heavy-duty reinforced door designed to resist forced entry, standard in Chinese residential buildings.

A nearly universal feature of Chinese apartment buildings. 防盗门 are typically made of steel with multiple locking points and come in different security grades (甲乙丙丁 in Chinese national standards, with 甲 being the highest). Associated with urban apartment life and domestic security.

Examples

1. 搬进新家后，他先把防盗门旧锁芯全部更换。 After moving into the new home, he replaced all the old lock cylinders in the security door first.
2. 物业公告提醒居民，无论离家时间长短，均应确保防盗门完全关闭并上锁，切勿贪图一时方便而忽视基本的安全措施。 A notice from the property management reminded residents that no matter how long they are away, they should make sure the security door is fully closed and locked, and not ignore basic safety measures for the sake of convenience.
3. 建筑开发商在交付的户型说明中特别注明，所有住宅单元均配备了符合国家标准甲级认证的防盗门，为业主提供更高级别的安全保障。 In the floor plan specifications delivered at handover, the developer specifically noted that all residential units are equipped with anti-theft security doors certified to the national Grade A standard, providing homeowners with a higher level of protection.

Usage Guide

Context: housing, security, everyday, property

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 在购置二手住宅时，专业人士建议买家将更换防盗门锁芯列为入住前的优先事项，因为原有钥匙的流向往往难以追溯，存在一定的安全隐患。(When purchasing a second-hand property, professionals advise buyers to prioritise replacing the lock cylinder of the security door before moving in, as the whereabouts of the original keys are often difficult to trace and present a certain security risk.)
• 这款新型防盗门采用了双层钢板夹心填充的复合结构，在保持门体轻便易操作的同时，显著提升了对撬棍和钻孔等常见破门工具的抵御能力。(This new type of security door uses a composite structure of double-layer steel panel with sandwich filling, which significantly improves resistance to common forced-entry tools such as crowbars and drills while keeping the door lightweight and easy to operate.)

Don't Say

• 防盗的门 — this periphrastic form sounds unnatural in Mandarin; 防盗门 is a fixed compound noun and should always be used as a unit

Origin & History

防盗 (anti-theft) + 门 (door/gate) — a door specifically engineered to prevent theft or forced entry

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal