Up and Down in Chinese

In Chinese grammar, there are a group of directional nouns, which are used to tell directions. These nouns include 东，南，西，北，上，下，左， 右，(dōnɡ ， nán ， xī ， běi ， shànɡ ， xià ， zuǒ ，   yòu) etc.  Among them, 上 and 下 are special ones, because besides nouns they can also be used as verbs. We are going to learn the usage of these two words and the verb-object phrases about 下（xià) and 上（shàng).

“上（shàng）” originally means at the top of a place.

Example: 苹果在桌子上，which means “The apple is on the table.” 

In the opposite, 下（xià) means “under something”. In Chinese, when we want to express the meaning “A is under B”, we often add another Chinese word “面” after 下.

Example: 鞋在床的下面(xié zài chuánɡ de xià miɑn). The shoes are under the bed.书在衣服下面(shū zài yī fu xià miɑn). The book is under the clothes.

Besides nouns, 上 and 下 can also be used as verbs in spoken Chinese. When used as a verb, “上（shàng）” has the meaning of “to go to”

Example: “上（shàng）Beijing,” to go to Beijing

 “上饭店（shàng fàn diàn）” to go to the restaurant

“上厕所（shàng cè suǒ）” to go to the bathroom

When下（xià ) is used as a verb, it often “tells” the direction of an action.

For example we can use “下” to express “江南（jiāng nán)” because it is in the south.

In Chinese, there are many words that have more than one word categories. Mastering them is important because it can help us express ourselves more freely in Chinese. Join our Chinese tutor online to learn more Chinese words and phrases.