上下 meaning in English
the top and bottom of sth; the full vertical extent of sth; from top to bottom
Meaning of 上下
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- the top and bottom of sth
- the full vertical extent of sth; from top to bottom
- to go up and down
- before and after (as in 上下文[shang4 xia4 wen2] "context")
- (used after a quantity) approximately; ... or so
- (in a social hierarchy) the high and the low; seniors and juniors (as in 上下和睦[shang4 xia4 he2 mu4] "harmony between superiors and subordinates")
- all members of a group (as in 舉國上下|举国上下[ju3 guo2 shang4 xia4] "the entire nation")
- relative superiority (as in 不相上下[bu4 xiang1 shang4 xia4] "evenly matched")
How to use 上下
After a number, 上下 means "about" or "or so", much like 左右 (zuǒyòu). It also appears in set phrases like 全国上下 (quánguó shàngxià, the whole nation) and 不相上下 (bù xiāng shàngxià, evenly matched). Example: 他四十岁上下。(Tā sìshí suì shàngxià.) He is about forty years old.
上 (shàng) means up and 下 (xià) means down, and the two shapes mirror each other with a mark above or below a line. Put them together and you cover everything from top to bottom, which is why 上下 can mean the whole extent of something or the whole group.
Common mistake: Learners often put 上下 before the number, as in 上下四十岁, but it must come after the quantity: 四十岁上下. Also keep both tones falling, shàng and xià, rather than making 下 neutral as it is in 坐下 (zuò xia).
上下 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
上 shàng · up · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
下 xià · down · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 上下.
| 马上 | mǎshàng | at once; right away |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening; night |
| 身上 | shēnshang | on the body; at hand |
| 早上 | zǎoshang | early morning |
| 坐下 | zuò xia | to sit down |
| 下次 | xià cì | next time |
| 上次 | shàng cì | last time |
| 路上 | lùshang | on the road; on the way; en route |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon; p.m. |
| 上班 | shàngbān | to go to work; to be on duty |
| 上车 | shàng chē | to get on or into (a bus, train, car etc) |
| 地上 | dìshang | on the ground; on the floor |
Questions about 上下
What does 上下 mean?
上下 (shàngxià) means "the top and bottom of sth; the full vertical extent of sth; from top to bottom" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 上下?
上下 is made of 2 characters: 上 (3 strokes), 下 (3 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 上下 an HSK word?
Yes. 上下 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 上下 and 左右 when meaning approximately?
Both go after a number and mean "about". 左右 (zuǒyòu) is more common in everyday speech and works with time, money, and quantities. 上下 is a bit more formal and is used mostly for age, weight, height, and similar measurements.
Does 上下 mean to go up and down stairs?
Yes, as a verb it can mean going up and down, as in 上下楼梯 (shàngxià lóutī, to go up and down the stairs) or 上下车 (shàngxià chē, getting on and off the vehicle). This use is common on signs and in instructions.