航站楼
hángzhànlóu
The English phrase "airport terminal" is translated into Chinese as 航站楼 (hángzhànlóu).
航站楼 refers to the building at an airport where passengers board and leave aircraft.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 航站楼 is composed of three parts: 航 (háng, meaning to sail or fly), 站 (zhàn, meaning station or stop) and 楼 (lóu, meaning building or floor).
Which one should you use?
The shortened form 航站 can be used to refer to the terminal or the station itself in certain contexts. 机场候机楼 is specifically the formal way to say "airport terminal" in Chinese.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, the formal term for airport terminal is 機場候機大樓.
How do you pronounce it?
hángzhànlóu
Did you know?
- In mainland China, the term 航站楼 uses the character 航, which literally means to 'sail' or 'navigate'. Even though modern planes do not sail through water, this ancient maritime terminology is still the standard way to describe flight navigation.
- The character 站 used in 航站楼 is shared with bus stops and train stations, treating a massive airport terminal as a simple 'stop' on a journey.
- The term 候机楼 is more descriptive than the direct translation of 'terminal' because it literally contains the characters for 'waiting' and 'aircraft'. It functions more like the phrase 'aircraft waiting building' in English.
Examples in context
- 不好意思，请问机场候机楼在哪里？Excuse me, where is the airport terminal?
- 要赶飞机，请前往出发大厅To catch your flight, head to the departure hall.
- 请前往T3航站楼。Please proceed to Terminal 3.
- 我们在航站楼门口集合。Wǒmen zài hángzhànlóu ménkǒu jíhé.We will meet at the airport terminal entrance.
- 这个航站楼非常大。Zhège hángzhànlóu fēicháng dà.This airport terminal is very large.
- 请问去二号航站楼怎么走？Qǐngwèn qù èrhào hángzhànlóu zěnme zǒu?Excuse me, how do I get to Terminal 2?
Example conversation
Two friends are meeting at the airport to see someone off.
- 雨婷 Yuting志强，你到航站楼了吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ dào hángzhànlóu le ma?Zhiqiang, have you arrived at the airport terminal?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我刚到，现在就在门口。Wǒ gāng dào, xiànzài jiù zài ménkǒu.I just arrived, I am at the entrance now.
- 雨婷 Yuting我也快到了，等我一下。Wǒ yě kuài dào le, děng wǒ yīxià.I am almost there too, wait for me a moment.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好的，雨婷，我在这里等你。Hǎo de, Yǔtíng, wǒ zài zhèlǐ děng nǐ.Okay, Yuting, I will wait for you here.
