Chinese word

天空

Pronunciation

Pinyintiān kōng

Meaning

  • nounsky

Example

今天的天空很蓝。jīn tiān de tiān kōng hěn lán

The sky is very blue today.

Illustration for 天空 (sky)

More examples

孩子们在院子里看着蓝蓝的天空。hái zi men zài yuàn zi lǐ kàn zhe lán lán de tiān kōng

The children are looking at the blue sky in the yard.

Core concept

The visible space stretching over the earth, framed by the horizon and filled with air, light, and clouds.

Common phrases

  • 蓝蓝的天空lán lán de tiān kōng

    blue sky

  • 天空中tiān kōng zhōng

    in the sky

Similar words

天tiān: The natural space above the earth, considered in a general or all-encompassing way.
天气tiān qì: The condition of the outdoors on a particular day, such as clear, rainy, or cloudy weather.

Definition in Chinese

地平线以上开阔的大气空间，指可见的云层、阳光和蓝色的上空。dì píng xiàn yǐ shàng kāi kuò de dà qì kōng jiān zhǐ kě jiàn de yún céng yáng guāng hé lán sè de shàng kōng

Word origin

天空 (tiānkōng, "sky") uses 天 (tiān, "the upper natural world") plus 空 (kōng, "space"), making its focus the visible expanse above the earth.

Usage tips

  • The noun is not normally treated as an individual countable object, although a phrase meaning a stretch or patch of it can be used when a bounded view matters.

Opposites

Word lists with this word