{"id":1209,"date":"2013-12-02T07:58:57","date_gmt":"2013-12-02T07:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=1209"},"modified":"2023-08-31T05:40:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T05:40:57","slug":"pursue-he-commons-in-the-words-shang-and-xia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/pursue-he-commons-in-the-words-shang-and-xia.html","title":{"rendered":"\u4e0a and \u4e0b in Chinese: Beyond the Basic \u201cUp\u201d and \u201cDown\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Have you ever stopped to consider how often you use the words \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) and \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) in your daily life? These two characters are so ubiquitous in the Chinese language that it’s easy to take them for granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We say \u4e0a\u73ed (sh\u00e0ng b\u0101n, on duty), \u4e0b\u73ed (xi\u00e0 b\u0101n, off duty), \u4e0a\u8f66 (sh\u00e0ng ch\u0113, get on), \u4e0b\u8f66 (xi\u00e0 ch\u0113, get off), \u4e0a\u5395\u6240 (sh\u00e0ng c\u00e8 su\u01d2, go to the bathroom), but we never say \u4e0b\u5395\u6240 (xi\u00e0 c\u00e8 su\u01d2, get out of the bathroom). What’s the reason behind this? In this article, we will delve into the fascinating world of \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) and \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) and explore their various meanings and nuances. So, get ready to discover the hidden depths of these two commonly used characters!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, Let\u2019s look at the background of the two characters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u4e0a\u2019s written character in different forms:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4e0b\u2019s written character in different forms:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The character \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) means “up high”, while \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) means “down below.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, \u697c\u4e0a (l\u00f3u sh\u00e0ng) means “upstairs”, and \u697c\u4e0b (l\u00f3u xi\u00e0) means “downstairs”. Similarly, \u4e0a\u94fa (sh\u00e0ng p\u00f9) means “upper berth” and \u4e0b\u94fa (xi\u00e0 p\u00f9) means “lower berth”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u4f4f\u5728\u697c\u4e0a\uff0c\u6211\u4f4f\u5728\u697c\u4e0b\u3002(T\u0101 zh\u00f9 z\u00e0i l\u00f3ush\u00e0ng, w\u01d2 zh\u00f9 z\u00e0i l\u00f3uxi\u00e0.) \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) refers to the “front”, while \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) refers to the “back”. For instance, \u4e0a\u518c (sh\u00e0ng c\u00e8, Volume One) and \u4e0b\u518c (xi\u00e0 c\u00e8, Volume Two), or \u4e0a\u6b21 (sh\u00e0ng c\u00ec, last time) and \u4e0b\u6b21 (xi\u00e0 c\u00ec, next time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4e0a\u6b21\u4f60\u501f\u4e86\u4e0a\u518c, \u4e0b\u6b21\u4f60\u501f\u4e0b\u518c\u5417\uff1f(Sh\u00e0ngc\u00ec n\u01d0 ji\u00e8 le sh\u00e0ngc\u00e8\uff0cxi\u00e0c\u00ec n\u01d0 ji\u00e8 xi\u00e0c\u00e8 ma?) \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) means “upper,” while \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) means “lower” or “nether.” For example, \u4e0a\u7b49 (sh\u00e0ng d\u011bng, superior) and \u4e0b\u7b49 (xi\u00e0 d\u011bng, inferior), \u4e0a\u7ea7 (sh\u00e0ng j\u00ed, higher-up) and \u4e0b\u7ea7 (xi\u00e0 j\u00ed, subordinate).<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5c0a\u91cd\u4e0a\u7ea7, \u4e5f\u5c0a\u91cd\u4e0b\u7ea7\u3002(Z\u016bnzh\u00f2ng sh\u00e0ngj\u00ed\uff0cy\u011b z\u016bnzh\u00f2ng xi\u00e0j\u00ed.) \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) means \u201cgoing from the bottom up\u201d and \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) means \u201cgoing from the top down\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4e0a\u8239 (sh\u00e0ng chu\u00e1n, get on; aboard) and \u4e0b\u8239 (xi\u00e0 chu\u00e1n, get off; debark)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4e0a\u697c (sh\u00e0ng l\u00f3u, go upstairs) and \u4e0b\u697c (xi\u00e0 l\u00f3u, go downstairs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4e0a\u5c71 (sh\u00e0ng sh\u0101n, go uphill) and \u4e0b\u5c71 (xi\u00e0 sh\u0101n, go downhill)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4e0a\u5347 (sh\u00e0ng sh\u0113ng, go up; ascend) and \u4e0b\u964d (xi\u00e0 ji\u00e0ng, pull down; descend)<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u65c5\u5ba2\u521a\u5f00\u59cb\u4e0a\u8239\u3002(L\u01dak\u00e8 g\u0101ng k\u0101ish\u01d0 sh\u00e0ngchu\u00e1n.) In organized activities, \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) means \u201cto start\u201d and \u4e0b)xi\u00e0) means \u201cto finish.\u201d Examples include \u4e0a\u73ed(sh\u00e0ng b\u0101n, go to work),\u4e0b\u73ed(xi\u00e0 b\u0101n, finish work), \u4e0a\u8bfe(sh\u00e0ng k\u00e8, start class) and \u4e0b\u8bfe(xi\u00e0 k\u00e8, finish class).<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u6bcf\u5929\u65e9\u4e0a8\u70b9\u4e0a\u73ed, \u4e0b\u53485\u70b9\u4e0b\u73ed\u3002(T\u0101 m\u011biti\u0101n z\u01ceosh\u00e0ng b\u0101 di\u01cen sh\u00e0ngb\u0101n, xi\u00e0w\u01d4 w\u01d4 di\u01cen xi\u00e0b\u0101n.) Apart from these relative meanings, sometimes they are not opposites, and this can often confuse us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I.<\/strong> Sometimes, \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) doesn’t have an equivalent expression with \u4e0b(xi\u00e0), and it can be confusing. For example, in phrases like \u4e0a\u8857(sh\u00e0ng ji\u0113, go into the street), \u4e0a\u7f51(sh\u00e0ng w\u01ceng, get on the Internet), and \u4e0a\u5395\u6240(sh\u00e0ng c\u00e8 su\u01d2, go to the bathroom), \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) means to \u201cgo to\u201d a place, but \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) doesn’t actually mean \u201cto leave\u201d those places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u54ea\u53bb\u513f\u4e86? \u6211\u4e0a\u8857\u4e86\u3002(N\u01d0 q\u00f9 n\u01ce er le? W\u01d2 sh\u00e0ng ji\u0113 le.) II.<\/strong> Some phrases use \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) to mean “get into,” like \u4e0b\u6d77(xi\u00e0 h\u01cei, go into business) and \u4e0b\u57fa\u5c42(xi\u00e0 j\u012b c\u00e9ng, get into grassroots). In other phrases like \u4e0b\u9762\u6761(xi\u00e0 mi\u00e0n ti\u00e1o, cook noodles) or \u4e0b\u997a\u5b50(xi\u00e0 ji\u01ceo zi, cook dumplings), \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) means “cook.” However, \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) cannot be used in this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5988\u5988\u8bf4\uff0c \u8981\u5148\u70e7\u6c34, \u518d\u4e0b\u997a\u5b50\u3002(M\u0101ma shu\u014d, y\u00e0o xi\u0101n sh\u0101oshu\u01d0, z\u00e0i xi\u00e0 ji\u01ceozi.) \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) and \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) are two Chinese characters that have many different meanings in different contexts. They are often used to describe positions, orders, levels, directions, and starting and stopping activities. Understanding the meanings of these two characters can help you better understand Chinese language and culture. So next time when you hear someone say \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) or \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) in conversation, you will know exactly what they mean and how to respond correctly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever stopped to consider how often you use the words \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng) and \u4e0b(xi\u00e0) in your daily life? These two characters are so ubiquitous in the Chinese language that it’s easy to take them for granted. We say \u4e0a\u73ed (sh\u00e0ng b\u0101n, on duty), \u4e0b\u73ed (xi\u00e0 b\u0101n, off duty), \u4e0a\u8f66 (sh\u00e0ng ch\u0113, get on), \u4e0b\u8f66…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,176],"tags":[77,86,7,93,78],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-1209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-mandarin-online","category-usage","tag-beginner","tag-chinese-characters","tag-grammar","tag-how-to-use","tag-intermediate","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
These characters are both derived from the pictographic character of a horizontal line. Adding a stroke above the line creates \u4e0a(sh\u00e0ng, up) while adding one below it creates \u4e0b(xi\u00e0, down). These two characters are essentially inverted versions of each other. Many dictionaries define them as opposites, so you can try to understand them like antonyms.<\/p>\n\n\n1. Positions<\/h2>\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
He lives upstairs, and I live downstairs.<\/p>\n\n\n2. Time and sequence orders<\/h2>\n\n\n
Last time you borrowed the volume one book, next time will you borrow volume two?<\/p>\n\n\n3. Levels<\/h2>\n\n\n
Treat superiors with respect, and also treat subordinates with respect.<\/p>\n\n\n4. Directions<\/h2>\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Passengers were just starting to board the ship.<\/p>\n\n\n5. Starting and finishing activities<\/h2>\n\n\n
Every day he goes to work at 8am and gets off work at 5pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where did you go? I went into the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My mother says that you need boil water first and then cook dumplings.<\/p>\n\n\nConclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n