层 (céng) — floor; layer; storey
HSK 2 | measure word/noun | used for floors of a building and layers of things
层 (céng)
层 is both a measure word for floors or stories of a building and for layers of any stacked substance. When counting floors, Chinese ground floor is 一层 (yī céng), equivalent to the first floor in American English or ground floor in British English.
Meanings
- [measure word] Floor; storey. Used with numbers to indicate which level of a building.
- [measure word/noun] Layer. Used for anything arranged in horizontal strata (paint, clouds, skin, etc.).
Example Sentences
我住在三层。 Wǒ zhù zài sān céng. I live on the third floor.
这栋楼一共有二十层。 Zhè dòng lóu yīgòng yǒu èrshí céng. This building has twenty floors in total.
蛋糕有三层，每层都不一样。 Dàngāo yǒu sān céng, měi céng dōu bù yīyàng. The cake has three layers, each layer is different.
图书馆在宾馆的四层。 Túshūguǎn zài bīnguǎn de sì céng. The library is on the fourth floor of the hotel.
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 一层 (yī céng) | first floor / ground floor |
| 楼层 (lóucéng) | floor; storey (general term) |
| 层次 (céngcì) | level; hierarchy |
| 一层一层 (yī céng yī céng) | layer by layer |
| 地下层 (dìxià céng) | basement; underground floor |
Memory Hook
Picture a layered cake: each flat horizontal section is a 层. Buildings are just very tall cakes — each floor is one 层 stacked on the next.