HSK · Level 84
45 words
Chinese word
上流
Pronunciation
Pinyinshàng liú
Meaning
- nounupper reaches
Example
小镇坐落在河的上流。xiǎo zhèn zuò luò zài hé de shàng liú
The town is located in the upper reaches of the river.
More examples
他的家族属于上流社会，生活奢华。tā de jiā zú shǔ yú shàng liú shè huì shēng huó shē huá
His family belongs to upper-class society and lives lavishly.
Core concept
An upper end close to the source of a flow and high within a hierarchy.
Common phrases
上流社会shàng liú shè huì
upper-class society
上流阶层shàng liú jiē céng
upper social class
Similar words
上游shàng yóu: The upstream section through which a river flows near its source.
源头yuán tóu: The starting point of a river, where water first emerges.
上流域shàng liú yù: The region covering a river's upper course and the surrounding land.
上层shàng céng: The higher social level occupied by people with high status.
Definition in Chinese
指河水靠近源头的那一侧或那一段；亦常用来表示系统或关系中处于前端或来源位置的部分，如上游环节或上流阶层。zhǐ hé shuǐ kào jìn yuán tóu de nà yí cè huò nà yí duàn yì cháng yòng lái biǎo shì xì tǒng huò guān xì zhōng chǔ yú qián duān huò lái yuán wèi zhì de bù fèn rú shàng yóu huán jié huò shàng liú jiē céng
Word origin
In 上 (shàng, "up") + 流 (liú, "flow"), the flow is viewed from its upper end, so the word extends from a river's source side to the leading part of a process or hierarchy.
Usage tips
- When the subject is people, the word describes social standing rather than physical location, so surrounding nouns and the wider topic are important for interpreting it.
Other meanings
- upper classnoun
- headwatersnoun
Opposites
- 下层社会xià céng shè huìlower-class societynoun
- 下层阶级xià céng jiē jílower social classnoun
Related words
- 上流社会shàng liú shè huìupper-class societynoun
- 上流人士shàng liú rén shìupper-class personnoun