The skyscraper soars into the clouds, piercing the horizon.
Tips
usage
凌云 is mostly literary. You will meet it in set phrases like 凌云壮志 ('sky-high ambitions') or 壮志凌云 rather than in everyday speech. The core image is always 'rising above the clouds'.
memory
凌 = 'to rise above / overtop' + 云 = 'clouds'. Picture a person or tower literally poking through the cloud layer, the mental image behind every use of 凌云.
