Speaking of the Chinese character “上”, you may have learned that it can indicate position. But actually, “上” is a very useful character and can be used in many different ways. This article introduces four common usages of “上”.
1. 上 is used after a noun
To express on the surface of an object
猫在椅子上睡觉。
The cat is sleeping on a chair.
墙上挂着几张照片。
There are some pictures on the wall.
你的脸上有东西。
You have something on your face.
To express within the scope of something
书上说茶已经有五千年的历史了。
The book says that tea has a history of 5,000 years.
今天汉语课上，老师一共教了三个汉字。
In today’s Chinese class, the teacher taught a total of 3 characters.
会上，客户问了我们很多问题。
At the meeting, customers asked us a lot of questions.
To express “certain aspects of something”
如果在学习上有什么问题，你可以给我打电话。
Rú guǒ zài xué xí shang yǒu shén me wèn tí, nǐ kě yǐ gěi wǒ dǎ diàn huà.
If you have any questions about your studies, just call me.
经常看书和不经常看书的人，在思想和行为上都会不同。
Jīngcháng kàn shū hé bù jīngcháng kàn shū de rén, zài sīxiǎng hé xíngwéi shang dōu huì bù tóng.
People who read books often and those who don’t will be different in thought and behavior.
一个人刚到国外的时候，在生活上会有很多不习惯的地方。
When someone first goes aboard, he or she can have a lot to adjust.
2. 上 goes after a verb
To indicate the result of the action
我们终于爬上了山顶。
We finally climbed to the top of the mountain.
外面下雨了，我要把窗户关上吗？
It’s raining outside. Shall I close the window?
两年前，她考上了中国最好的大学。
Two years ago, she got accepted by the best university in China.
To indicate an action starts and will continue
他最近迷上了摩托车。
Tā zuìjìn mí shàng le mótuōchē.
He has become obsessed with motorcycles recently.
现在，我真的爱上这个地方了。
Now, I have really fallen in love with this place.
3. 上 can be used as a Verb
To mean to go or go up in spoken Chinese
大卫跑得太慢了，麦克你上吧！
David runs too slowly. Mike, you go!
他上医院了。
He went to the hospital.
我明天要上北京开会。
I’m going to Beijing for a meeting tomorrow.
To mean from low to high
快上车，车要开了。
Hop in, the car is leaving.
我们每天坐电梯上楼。
We take the lift upstairs every day.
天快黑了，今天还是别上山了。
It’s getting dark, we’d better not go up the mountain today.
To mean to start doing something on time
每个星期二，他都去学校上汉语课。
Every Tuesday, he goes To school to take his Chinese class.
她九点上班，五点下班。
She goes to work at nine and finishes at five.
To mean to bring the food or drink to the table(mostly used in restaurants)
服务员已经开始上菜了，她怎么还不来？
The waiter has started serving food. Why hasn’t she come yet?
服务员，再给我们上一壶茶！
Excuse me, can we have one more pot of tea?
To mean to paint or put
孩子们正在给这幅画上色。
The children are coloring the picture.
别担心，手上药以后就不疼了。
Don't worry, you hand won’t hurt anymore after you put medicine on them.
To indicate to a certain amount or degree
昨天有上千人参加了马拉松比赛。
Yesterday, more than a thousand people participated in the marathon race.
人上了年纪以后就不那么爱睡觉了。
People tend to sleep less as they age.
4. 上+ Time Word
Time words such as 星期(week), 月(month) and 季度(quarter) can be used with “上”.
上次他来我家的时候也给我带了一瓶酒。
He brought me a bottle of wine when he came to my house last time.
上个星期，她去哈尔滨旅游了。
Last week, she went to Harbin for a trip.
这本书有上册和下册，我只看过上册。
This book has volume 1 and 2, but I have only read volume 1.
Conclusion
These are the common usages of “上” in Chinese grammar. They are a little complicated but not so difficult to understand. If you still have questions about the use of “上”, please let us know in the comments below. We will answer for you, and then supplement and improve the article.
Comments