上
Meanings · shǎng
- used in 上聲 shǎng shēng
Meanings · shàng
- (bound form) up; upper; above; previous
- first (of multiple parts)
- to climb; to get onto; to go up
- to attend (class or university)
- (directional complement) up
- (noun suffix) on; above
Characters in this entry
- 上
- shàng · top; superior, highest; go up, send up
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
3 · shang3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Sentences in context
Exact source-spelling matches. Open the reader for dictionary lookups, construction notes and related examples. Occurrence does not establish a particular dictionary sense.
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 30 senses · 2 Cantonese readings
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
soeng5 · soeng6
Cantonese word readings for 上. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- upper part; high position; up
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) emperor
- on; above
- superior; senior; top; uppermost; the highest level
- preceding; previous; last; former
- first of several (usually two or three) partitions
- within; in; from the standpoint of; according to
- (Hokkien, Teochew) most; extremely
character · Etymology 1
- to go up; to ascend
- to charge; to advance
- to go to; to leave for (a place) (usually to a more developed place)
- to board; to get on
- to serve; to present; to offer
- to attend (class, work)
- to enter (a field); to appear (on stage, TV)
- to fit; to install; to apply
- to screw; to tighten, to twist
- (colloquial) short for 上線 (“to go online”)
- to connect to; browse (a website)
- (Cantonese) to go north
- (Min) to pull upwards or hang with a rope
- (Southern Min) to grow and attach
- (Xiamen Hokkien) to pile up
- (vulgar, usually of a male) to fuck; to have intercourse (usually with a female)
- Particle following verbs, indicating direction or achievement.
- 7th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "ascension" (𝌌)
- (mahjong, Cantonese) chow; to call a discarded tile to produce a chow
character · Etymology 1
- (～聲) (Chinese phonetics) rising tone in Chinese phonetics
character · Etymology 2
- (music) Kunqu gongche notation for the note do (1).
- (music) Cantonese opera gongche notation for the note do (1).
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack