层 meaning in English
to pile on top of one another; layer; stratum
Meaning of 层
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to pile on top of one another
- layer; stratum
- floor (of a building); story
- (math.) sheaf
- classifier for layers
How to use 层
层 is most often a measure word for floors of a building and for layers of things like paint, cake, or dust. Use it with numbers to say which floor someone lives on: 我住在五层。(Wǒ zhù zài wǔ céng.) I live on the fifth floor.
层 (céng) has 尸 on top like a roof or shelter, and 云 (yún, cloud) underneath. Picture a tall building whose floors stack up layer after layer until they reach the clouds.
Common mistake: Learners often say 五楼 and 五层 as if they always mean the same thing. 五楼 names the fifth floor as a location, while 五层 can also mean five stories in total, as in 这栋楼有五层 (this building has five floors). Also keep the second tone, céng, and do not confuse it with 曾 (céng, once/ever), which sounds the same.
层 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
层 céng · to pile on top of one another · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 层.
| 层次 | céngcì | layer; level |
| 高层 | gāocéng | high-rise; high level; high class |
| 层面 | céngmiàn | aspect; facet; level (political, psychological, spiritual etc) |
| 底层 | dǐcéng | ground floor; first floor; lowest level; lowest rung (of society etc) |
| 阶层 | jiēcéng | social class |
| 基层 | jīcéng | basic level; grassroots unit |
| 层出不穷 | céngchū-bùqióng | more and more emerge; innumerable succession |
| 一层 | yīcéng | one layer; one level |
| 大气层 | dàqìcéng | (meteorology) the atmosphere; atmospheric layer |
| 楼层 | lóucéng | floor; story (of a building) |
| 双层 | shuāngcéng | double tier; double decker |
| 顶层 | dǐngcéng | top floor; the top of a building |
Questions about 层
What does 层 mean?
层 (céng) means "to pile on top of one another; layer; stratum" and is used as a measure word.
How do you write 层?
层 is made of 1 character: 层 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 层 an HSK word?
Yes. 层 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 层 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 层 is written 層.
What is the difference between 层 and 楼 for floors?
楼 (lóu) means a building and is also used for a specific floor, like 三楼 (third floor). 层 is a measure word, so it counts floors, as in 二十层的大楼 (a twenty-story building). For saying where you are, 几楼 and 几层 are both common.
Can 层 be used for things other than buildings?
Yes. It counts any layer, such as 一层雪 (yì céng xuě, a layer of snow) or 一层纸 (a layer of paper). It also appears in abstract words like 阶层 (social class) and 层次 (level).