Meaning of 向上
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- upward
- up
- to advance
- to try to improve oneself
- to make progress
How to use 向上
向上 is used both for physical direction and for self-improvement. It often appears in phrases like 向上看 (look up) or 好好学习，天天向上 (study well and make progress every day), a famous slogan. Example: 他是一个积极向上的人。(Tā shì yí ge jījí xiàngshàng de rén.) He is a positive, motivated person.
向 (xiàng) means to face or go toward, and 上 (shàng) means up. Put them together and you are facing upward, moving toward something higher, which is why the word also means to make progress.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 向上 with 上去 (shàngqu). 向上 describes a direction or an attitude, while 上去 is a directional complement after a verb, as in 走上去 (walk up). Also keep the fourth tone on 向 (xiàng), not the first tone of 香 (xiāng).
向上 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.
向 xiàng · towards · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
上 shàng · up · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 向上.
| 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 向上
What does 向上 mean?
向上 (xiàngshàng) means "upward; up" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 向上?
向上 is made of 2 characters: 向 (6 strokes), 上 (3 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 向上 an HSK word?
Yes. 向上 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the opposite of 向上?
The opposite is 向下 (xiàngxià), meaning downward. It is mostly used for physical direction, as in 向下看 (look down), and is rarely used for attitude.
Can 向上 be used to describe a person?
Yes. It is very common in the phrase 积极向上 (jījí xiàngshàng), meaning positive and eager to improve. It works like an adjective describing someone's attitude or spirit.