Chinese word

天花板

Pronunciation

Pinyintiān huā bǎn

Meaning

  • nounceiling

Example

教室的天花板很高。jiào shì de tiān huā bǎn hěn gāo

The classroom ceiling is very high.

Illustration for 天花板 (ceiling)

More examples

他的工资已经达到天花板，很难再涨了。tā de gōng zī yǐ jīng dá dào tiān huā bǎn hěn nán zài zhǎng le

His salary has already reached the ceiling, and it is difficult for it to rise any further.

Core concept

A built-in top surface covers the space below and sets the point beyond which more height or progress does not go.

Common phrases

  • 房间的天花板fáng jiān de tiān huā bǎn

    the room's ceiling

  • 装修天花板zhuāng xiū tiān huā bǎn

    renovate the ceiling

  • 达到天花板dá dào tiān huā bǎn

    reach the ceiling

Similar words

顶棚dǐng péng: The panel or surface above a room that forms its indoor top.
吊顶diào dǐng: A ceiling panel or frame hung below the real ceiling to hide wiring and improve the finish.
天棚tiān péng: A regional or traditional term for a shelf-like surface covering the top inside a room.

Definition in Chinese

指室内覆盖在上方的顶板或装饰顶棚；引申指某事物无法超过的最高界限或上限。zhǐ shì nèi fù gài zài shàng fāng de díng bǎn huò zhuāng shì dǐng péng yǐn shēn zhǐ mǒu shì wù wú fǎ chāo guò de zuì gāo jiè xiàn huò shàng xiàn

Word origin

天花板 (tiānhuābǎn, "ceiling board") joins 天花 (tiānhuā, "ceiling decoration") and 板 (bǎn, "board"), so its concrete meaning naturally extends from an overhead panel to a fixed upper boundary.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often hear a room feature first, but Chinese also uses the word in discussions of talent, prices, and performance, where it names a limiting boundary rather than a part of a building.

Other meanings

  • upper limitnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 天花板价tiān huā bǎn jiàceiling pricenoun

Word lists with this word