摩天大厦

摩天大廈
mótiān dàshà
noun #37,251

Measure Word

摩天大厦 zuò

Meanings

  1. 1 skyscraper
  2. 2 high-rise tower

Examples

HSK 7-9
Shànghǎi Lùjiāzuǐ yǒu xǔduō mótiān dàshà.
Shanghai's Lujiazui has many skyscrapers.
HSK 7-9
Zhè zuò mótiān dàshà gāo dá liùbǎi mǐ.
This skyscraper reaches six hundred meters in height.

Tips

memory
Reads literally as 'rub-sky big-building.' 摩天 'rub-the-sky' is the old Chinese rendering of skyscrapers' altitude - the same image English uses, just with rubbing instead of scraping. You'll see 摩天 in 摩天轮 ('Ferris wheel,' literally 'sky-rubbing wheel').
mistakes
Pronounce as shà here, not xià. The character is shà when it means 'mansion/tall building' and xià only as part of 厦门 (the city Xiamen). Saying mótiān dàxià sounds like a learner error to native ears.

Stroke Order

tiān
shà