Chinese word

上

Pronunciation

Pinyinshàng

Meaning

  • verbgo up

Example

请上楼。qǐng shàng lóu

Please go upstairs.

Illustration for 上 (go up)

More examples

我们八点在车站上车。wǒ men bā diǎn zài chē zhàn shàng chē

We get on at the station at eight.

Core concept

Move from a lower place to a higher place, onto a vehicle or surface, or into an activity.

Common phrases

  • 上车shàng chē

    get on

  • 上课shàng kè

    attend class

  • 上床shàng chuáng

    go to bed

Similar words

来lái: Come closer to the speaker or a chosen reference point.
去qù: Go farther from the speaker or a chosen reference point.

Definition in Chinese

表示从较低位置向上移动或登上某物，也常用于表示乘坐交通工具或登上楼层，同时可表示进入某种活动，如上车、上楼、上课、上班。biǎo shì cóng jiào dī wèi zhì xiàng shàng yí dòng huò dēng shàng mǒu wù yě cháng yòng yú biǎo shì chéng zuò jiāo tōng gōng jù huò dēng shàng lóu céng tóng shí kě biǎo shì jìn rù móu zhǒng huó dòng rú shàng chē shàng lóu shàng kè shàng bān

Word origin

The character 上 (shàng, "up") began as a mark above a line, so its idea of higher position naturally grew into moving upward, boarding, and joining an activity.

Usage tips

  • The pair 上来 (shànglái, "come up") and 上去 (shàngqù, "go up") shows whether upward movement comes toward or goes away from the speaker, a detail that plain English often leaves unstated.

Other meanings

  • get onverb
  • climbverb
  • topnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word