事实上 meaning in English

shìshíshang

in fact; in reality

HSK 3Traditional 事實上19 strokes

Meaning of 事实上

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

shìshíshàng

in fact
in reality
actually
as a matter of fact
de facto
ipso facto

How to use 事实上

事实上 usually comes at the start of a sentence or clause to correct an assumption or add the real situation. It often follows something that sounds true but is not. Example: 他看起来很冷静，事实上他很紧张。(Tā kàn qǐlái hěn lěngjìng, shìshíshang tā hěn jǐnzhāng.) He looks calm, but in fact he is very nervous.

事实上 is built from 事实 (shìshí, fact) plus 上 (shàng, on). Think of it as standing "on the facts": when you say it, you step onto solid ground and tell what is really true.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 实 (shí, real) with 是 (shì, to be) and write 事是上, because both syllables sound close to shì. Also, 上 here is usually light, so say shìshíshang rather than stressing a full fourth tone on the last syllable.

事实上 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

事shì实shí上shàng，我wǒ从cóng今jīn天tiān早zǎo上shàng开kāi始shǐ没méi有yǒu吃chī任rèn何hé东dōng西xī。

As a matter of fact, I haven't eaten anything since this morning.

事shì实shí上shàng。

Actually.

事shì实shí上shàng，我wǒ说shuō西xī班bān牙yá语yǔ。

As a matter of fact, I do speak Spanish.

我wǒ以yǐ为wéi他tā爱ài你nǐ，但dàn事shì实shí上shàng，他tā爱ài另lìng一yí个gè女nǚ孩hái。

I thought he loved you, but as it is, he loved another girl.

黑hēi海hǎi里lǐ的de水shuǐ事shì实shí上shàng是shì黑hēi的de吗ma？

Is the water in the Black Sea actually black?

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

事 shì · matter · 8 strokes

实 shí · real · 8 strokes

上 shàng · up · 3 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 事实上.

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
上次	shàng cì	last time
路上	lùshang	on the road; on the way; en route
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
楼上	lóu shàng	upstairs; (Internet slang) previous poster in a forum thread
车上	chē shang
上学	shàngxué	to go to school; to attend school

Questions about 事实上

What does 事实上 mean?

事实上 (shìshíshang) means "in fact; in reality".

How do you write 事实上?

事实上 is made of 3 characters: 事 (8 strokes), 实 (8 strokes), 上 (3 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.

Is 事实上 an HSK word?

Yes. 事实上 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 事实上 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 事实上 is written 事實上.

What is the difference between 事实上 and 其实?

Both mean "actually," but 其实 (qíshí) is more casual and very common in everyday speech. 事实上 sounds a bit more formal and emphatic, so it fits well in writing, arguments, and explanations.

Can 事实上 be used to mean "de facto" before a noun?

Yes, in formal writing it can describe something that exists in practice, often with 的, as in 事实上的领导 (shìshíshang de lǐngdǎo), a de facto leader. In daily conversation it is far more common as a sentence adverb meaning "in fact."