高空

• Pinyin: gāo kōng
• Hanzi breakdown: 高 (tall, high); 空 = 穴 + 工 (cave + work — hollow, empty, sky)

Meaning

High altitude; the upper atmosphere; a great height above the ground where altitude has significant physical or operational implications.

Used in aviation, meteorology, engineering, and extreme sports. 高空作业 refers to work at heights (construction, skyscraper maintenance); 高空跳伞 is skydiving; 高空气流 refers to high-altitude airflow. Typically implies heights where safety protocols or physical conditions differ markedly from ground level.

Examples

1. 高空气流的变化难以预测，航空公司在制定飞行计划时必须参考最新气象数据。 Changes in high-altitude air currents are hard to predict, so airlines must refer to the latest weather data when making flight plans.
2. 这名建筑工人长期从事高空作业，每天在数十米高的脚手架上完成焊接工程。 This construction worker has long done high-altitude work, welding every day on scaffolding dozens of meters above the ground.
3. 卫星在高空轨道上运行，能够对地球表面进行大范围、高精度的实时监测。 Satellites operate in high-altitude orbits, enabling wide-area, high-precision, real-time monitoring of the Earth’s surface.

Usage Guide

Context: aviation, construction, meteorology, space

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这次高空极限跳伞活动吸引了来自全球二十余个国家的专业运动员参与。(This extreme high-altitude skydiving event attracted professional athletes from more than twenty countries around the world.)
• 高空风速远高于地面，工程师在设计超高层建筑时必须着重考虑其抗风性能。(Wind speeds at high altitude are far greater than at ground level — engineers must pay careful attention to wind resistance when designing supertall buildings.)

Don't Say

• 我在高空了 — use 我在高处 or 我处于海拔X米的高度 to express being at an elevated position

Origin & History

高 (high/tall) + 空 (sky/air/space)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal