五角大楼

五角大樓

Wǔjiǎo Dàlóu

noun #7,943

Meanings

1 the Pentagon (US Department of Defense headquarters)

Characters

corner; angle; horn

big; large; great

building; floor; story

Literally 'five-cornered big building' - a direct description of the Pentagon's shape.

Examples

HSK 4

五角大楼发表了一份声明。

Wǔjiǎo Dàlóu fābiǎo le yī fèn shēngmíng.

The Pentagon issued a statement.

HSK 6

五角大楼是世界上最大的办公楼之一。

Wǔjiǎo Dàlóu shì shìjiè shàng zuì dà de bàngōnglóu zhīyī.

The Pentagon is one of the largest office buildings in the world.

HSK 7-9

五角大楼是美国国防部的总部。

Wǔjiǎo Dàlóu shì Měiguó Guófángbù de zǒngbù.

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the US Department of Defense.

Tips

usage

In Chinese news, 五角大楼 is used as a metonym for the US military establishment, just as 'the Pentagon' is used in English. It often appears in geopolitical reporting.

memory

The Chinese name is a literal description of the building's shape: 五角 (five corners) + 大楼 (big building). Unlike the English name 'Pentagon' (from Greek), the Chinese is instantly transparent.

Stroke Order

五 wǔ

角 jiǎo

大 dà

楼 lóu