CHENGYU
空中楼阁(kōng zhōng lóu gé)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《百喻经·三重楼喻》
MEANING
- Literal
- a pavilion in the air
- Figurative meaning
- an unrealistic plan or fantasy with no foundation
ORIGIN STORY
A rich man admired the third floor of another's house and ordered builders to make him one — without the first two floors. The tale mocked plans that ignore their own foundation; the phrase means castles in the air.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“a castle in the air”
EXAMPLES
没有资金，这些计划都是空中楼阁。Méiyǒu zījīn, zhèxiē jìhuà dōu shì kōng zhōng lóu gé.HSK6
Without funding, these plans are all pavilions in the air.
想法很好，但没有基础就成了空中楼阁。Xiǎngfǎ hěn hǎo, dàn méiyǒu jīchǔ jiù chéng le kōng zhōng lóu gé.HSK6
The idea is fine, but without a foundation it floats away into the clouds.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It criticizes plans without substance — not tall buildings or ambition itself.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01