厦屋 (shà wū) is a literary and somewhat archaic term meaning 'large house' or 'mansion'. It combines 厦 (shà), which originally referred to a large, open-sided pavilion or spacious building—often associated with grandeur and architectural prominence—and 屋 (wū), meaning 'house' or 'dwelling'. Together, they emphasize scale, dignity, and traditional architectural significance rather than mere size. The word carries a classical, poetic tone and appears frequently in historical texts, classical poetry, and formal descriptions of ancestral homes or elite residences.

Unlike common modern terms like 房子 (fángzi) or 住宅 (zhùzhái), 厦屋 evokes imagery of old courtyard compounds, southern Fujian tulou-style dwellings, or Ming-Qing dynasty mansions. It is rarely used in casual speech or contemporary real estate contexts. Instead, it functions as a stylistic choice in literature, historical narratives, or cultural commentary to convey heritage, status, or solemnity.