Chinese word

地上

Pronunciation

Pinyindì shàng

Meaning

  • nounground

Example

书掉在地上了。shū diào zài dì shàng le

The book fell on the ground.

Illustration for 地上 (ground)

More examples

地上有很多树叶。dì shàng yǒu hěn duō shù yè

There are many leaves on the ground.

Core concept

The surface-level position of something above or resting on the land, rather than below it or high in the air.

Common phrases

  • 在地上zài dì shàng

    on the ground

  • 放在地上fàng zài dì shàng

    place on the ground

  • 地上有dì shàng yǒu

    there is ___ on the ground

Similar words

地面dì miàn: The physical surface of the land that people walk on and objects rest on.
地下dì xià: A space or location below the surface of the land.

Definition in Chinese

位于地面或地表之上的位置或状态，表示物体在地表上或落在地上。wèi yú dì miàn huò dì biǎo zhī shàng de wèi zhì huò zhuàng tài biǎo shì wù tǐ zài dì biǎo shàng huò luò zài dì shàng

Word origin

The two characters join 地 (dì, "land") with 上 (shàng, "above"), making the surface the reference point for a thing's position.

Usage tips

  • The English word ground has other meanings, including a reason or a piece of land, but this Chinese word focuses on physical location.

Other meanings

  • earth's surfacenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word