Diàntī

[Bigdumogre]

This was brought up in another thread and did not want to derail it so made a new thread. When saying diàntī is there a way to tell the difference between elevator or escalator?

I know the direct English translation is electric ladder/stairs

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/49438-who-is-摄影师？/#comment-379019

Found thread it was mentioned ^^

[somethingfunny]

I think on signs (i.e. formal setting) an elevator (the one you get inside) is called a 升降机.  As for 电梯, I don't think you can tell the difference.

[Bigdumogre]

I think on signs (i.e. formal setting) an elevator (the one you get inside) is called a 升降机. As for 电梯, I don't think you can tell the difference.

You have pinyin for that? And the spoken part wonder if there is a way to explain the difference when asking someone.

[somethingfunny]

Pinyin can be found here: http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php

 

It's not a problem I've ever come across really.  If I ever ask someone for a 电梯 I always just assume they understand me to mean elevator, seeing as an elevator is so much more useful than an escalator...

 

Everything an escalator can do an elevator can also do, but not the other way round.

[Shelley]

I would always mean escalator as I never ever use elevators. Will take the stairs or not go at all if no stairs or escalator.

[somethingfunny]

What?  In China you have to use elevators...

[abcdefg]

When saying diàntī is there a way to tell the difference between elevator or escalator?

 

It's a good question and something I often run across in shopping centers. The movie theater is usually high, on the 7th floor or thereabouts. These modern building always have elevators as well as escalators.

 

In asking directions, the same word works for both. Namely 电梯。And 扶梯 (fu2ti1) sort of works for escalator, but you may not be understood. It is less commonly used, at least in my experience. The dictionary gives several alternate clumsy circumlocutions.

 

The way I handle this, here in Kunming, feet on the ground, is that when I ask for the elevator and the person points to the escalator, I tell them "No, that's not convenient, I'm going to the 7th floor." They then point me to the real elevator. If I want to try 扶梯，I have to write it on my phone.

 

It's clumsy and more than a little embarrassing at this stage in the game not to be able to make my meaning more clear from the get go. Wish I knew a better way.

 

Any practical advice, native speakers? Tips, hints, corrections?

[Shelley]

Good thing I am not in china then   but its not a problem as I will never, unfortunately, get to go to china.

[Bigdumogre]

Good thing I am not in china then but its not a problem as I will never, unfortunately, get to go to china.

Have you ever been there in the past? Must say my short 2 weeks there just felt like I was home.

[Altair]

I just came from China and noticed, particular in Beijing and perhaps only at the airport, signs for 直梯 everywhere.  This word indicated only the elevators.  When I spoke, I always asked for 电梯 and so don't know whether 直梯 would be readily understood.

 

I think in my limited experience, escalators, where they exist, are always more convenient to the flow of traffic, and so I would never need to ask for them specifically.  Elevators, on the other hand, are needed for large luggage, strollers, etc and so may need a specific term of reference.

[Shelley]

@Bigdumogre  no I have never been to china or anywhere near. When I was able it was unheard of really, to go (1970's) and now its is possible I am unable to go because my health is not up to it. Nothing serious just enough to make it too difficult to go. the journey would be very long and when I was there it wouldn't be easy, I also have a severe peanut allergy so I wouldn't be able to eat much apart from fruit and boiled rice. Its probably not that limited but it would be difficult.

 

Also it would be hard to find time, I run my own business with my partner, he wouldn't mind going either but we can't leave the business for any length of time. if I went on a holiday it would need to a good few weeks or even months to make the journey worth it and the business couldn't stand that.

 

So I content my self with as much Chinese as I can get here.

[Johnny20270]

Any practical advice, native speakers? Tips, hints, corrections?

 

 

 

Not a native speaker obviously but I was told to use 直梯 for lift / elevator and 电梯 escalator when bought are available to avoid any confusion. Don't know if its a widely common or a just a Beijing thing

[msittig]

I've heard and used 直升电梯 for elevator.

[L-F-J]

If you ask someone where the 电梯 is and they are specific enough, they'll tell you the 直达电梯 is over there, and the 自动扶梯 is over there, otherwise they'll just direct you to one or the other. 

 

Or, you could circumvent the whole problem by being specific enough when you ask, using the relevant term for what you want.

[abcdefg]

Or, you could circumvent the whole problem by being specific enough when you ask, using the relevant term for what you want.

 

Yes, that's what is being asked. So is there agreement on these two, in actual daily life? (At least when a simpler approach, namely just saying 电梯 doesn't get you what you want.)

 

直达电梯 = elevator

自动扶梯 = escalator

[stapler]

I've always used 扶手电梯 for escalator without any communication problems.

[L-F-J]

直达电梯 only means elevator.

自动扶梯 only means escalator.

 

Their literal meanings are quite clear. So, there can be no confusion.

 

Plus, at least 自动扶梯 appears in dictionaries as a "word" for escalator.

[Demonic_Duck]

Agree with @Johnny20270 that in Beijing at least, “电梯” is normally used for escalator (for example, in the announcements on the metro: “文明乘坐电梯”) and “直梯” is normally used for lift/elevator.

 

If you're in an apartment building, you can use “电梯” for the lift, because apartment buildings never have escalators.

 

“扶梯” helps further disambiguate, as it can only be used for escalators.

 

“直达电梯”, “直升电梯” and “自动扶梯” might be used on signage, but they all seem pretty formal and overly wordy to me.

[L-F-J]

In the Shanghai Metro, when taking the escalator it says "乘坐扶梯请紧握扶手，注意脚下安全，不要看手机"...

 

直达电梯 and 自动扶梯 are perfectly fine in informal spoken Chinese when you need to be specific. Nothing overly wordy about a 4-character word in Chinese. 

 

While 扶梯 won't be confused for an elevator, it can mean staircase too. Hence the specification of 自动扶梯 when asking.

 

In any case, it's always best to be as specific as possible if you're looking to get want you want the first time.

[Demonic_Duck]

Can 扶梯 really mean staircase? I've never heard it used like that. Staircase is normally 楼梯, or perhaps 台阶 (steps). If I asked for a 扶梯 and someone pointed me to a staircase with a handrail, I'd think they were being a smartass.

 

I tried searching Google images for 扶梯 and found nothing but page upon page of escalators.