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The upper interior surface of a room, typically made of plaster, wood, or other materials.
天花板漏水了，需要修理。
The ceiling is leaking and needs to be repaired.
In modern usage, '天花板' can also metaphorically refer to an upper limit or ceiling in a non-literal sense, such as a salary ceiling or performance ceiling.
'天花板' can be used metaphorically to describe limits or boundaries, such as '薪资天花板' (salary ceiling).
The term '天花板' is composed of '天' (sky/heaven), '花' (flower), and '板' (board). Historically, it referred to the decorative ceiling panels often adorned with floral patterns in traditional Chinese architecture.
In modern Chinese, '天花板' is most commonly used to refer to the ceiling of a room. It can also be used metaphorically to describe an upper limit or boundary, similar to the English 'ceiling'.