南北通透

nánběi tōngtòu

phrase

Meanings

1 (of an apartment) with windows on both north and south sides for cross-ventilation and light

Characters

permeate / clear

Examples

HSK 5

这套房子南北通透，夏天特别凉快。

Zhè tào fángzi nánběi tōngtòu, xiàtiān tèbié liángkuai.

This unit has north-south through-ventilation - it's really cool in summer.

HSK 5

南北通透的户型一般都比较贵。

Nánběi tōngtòu de hùxíng yìbān dōu bǐjiào guì.

Floor plans with north-south through-ventilation are generally pricier.

Tips

culture

In Chinese real estate listings, 南北通透 is a top-tier selling point: a unit with both south-facing (warm winter sun) and north-facing (summer breeze) windows in line with each other. Combined with 户型方正 (regularly shaped), it's the gold-standard layout.

Stroke Order

南 nán

北 běi

通 tōng

透 tòu