栋 (dòng): measure word for buildings

Meanings

1 measure word for buildings

Characters

栋

dòng

ridgepole; measure word for buildings

Examples

HSK 3

那栋楼是新建的。

Nà dòng lóu shì xīnjiàn de.

That building is newly built.

HSK 7-9

小区里有十栋楼。

Xiǎoqū lǐ yǒu shí dòng lóu.

There are ten buildings in the residential compound.

Tips

usage

栋 is specifically for buildings - 一栋楼, 一栋别墅, 一栋大厦. It cannot be used for rooms or floors, only whole buildings. The character originally meant 'ridgepole' (the main beam of a roof).

Components

radical

木 mù

wood; tree

Wood radical on the left - the indexing radical. A ridgepole is the main wooden beam at the apex of a traditional Chinese roof, holding the whole structure together. From 'ridgepole' the meaning extended to 'whole building,' which is why 栋 became the measure word for buildings.

phonetic

东 dōng

east (here phonetic)

Right side 东 supplies the sound, with the tone shifting to 4th in 栋. Same phonetic in 冻 (freeze) and 动 (move) - a clean dōng/dòng family. The simplified 东 replaced traditional 棟's 東 phonetic, preserving the same sound clue.