居民楼

• Pinyin: jū mín lóu
• Hanzi breakdown: 居 = 尸 (body) + 古 (ancient, phonetic) — to dwell, residence; 民 = pictograph of a person — people; 楼 = 木 (wood) + 娄 (phonetic) — multi-storey building

Meaning

Residential building; apartment block; housing tower for residents.

Refers to multi-storey buildings designated for residential use — the standard urban housing form in Chinese cities. Distinct from 商业楼 (commercial building) or 办公楼 (office building). Often used in urban planning, news reporting, and everyday speech when referring to housing estates, old residential blocks, or new developments. Collocates with 老旧 (ageing), 新建 (newly built), 改造 (renovation), 拆迁 (demolition and relocation).

Examples

1. 这片居民楼建于上世纪八十年代，设施陈旧，居委会正在积极协调推进改造工程。 This cluster of residential buildings was constructed in the 1980s; the facilities are ageing, and the residents' committee is actively coordinating a renovation project.
2. 凌晨一声爆炸，附近几栋居民楼的玻璃被震碎，消防员紧急出动排查险情。 An explosion in the early hours shattered windows in several nearby residential buildings, and firefighters were urgently dispatched to investigate.
3. 城市更新计划将这几栋老旧居民楼纳入拆迁范围，周边基础设施也将同步升级。 The urban renewal plan has included these dilapidated residential blocks in the demolition scope, with surrounding infrastructure to be upgraded at the same time.

Usage Guide

Context: urban planning, housing, news, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 那栋老旧居民楼已被列为危房，住户将于近期全部迁出。(That ageing residential building has been designated a hazardous structure; all residents will be relocated in the near future.)
• 开发商在市中心新建了几栋高档居民楼，配套设施齐全，但售价不菲。(The developer has built several upscale residential towers in the city centre — well-equipped but not cheap.)

Don't Say

• 我住在一个居民楼里。(Technically correct, but slightly formal for everyday speech — most people just say 我住在楼上、我住公寓 or name their estate)

Origin & History

居民 (residents, inhabitants) + 楼 (multi-storey building). A modern compound describing purpose-built residential high-rises — a feature of Chinese urban life from the 1950s onward.

Cultural Context

Era: Post-1950s urban China

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal