Useful extra · HSK 2 list

上面 shàngmiàn “above” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 上面 means

  1. above, on top
  2. on top of
  3. above-mentioned

How to say 上面

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale上shàng4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale面miàn4th tone, falling

上面 in a sentence

  1. 办公桌上面有一张地图。

    Bàngōngzhuō shàngmiàn yǒu yì zhāng dìtú.

    There’s a map on the desk.

    Sentence #856817 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 不要坐在上面。

    Búyào zuò zài shàngmiàn.

    Don’t sit on it.

    Sentence #808225 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 你看这张表吧，上面已经写清楚了。

    Nǐ kàn zhè zhāng biǎo ba, shàngmiàn yǐjīng xiě qīngchu le.

    Have a look at this form. It’s all written clearly on it.

    Sentence #421002 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 上面 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 上 (shàng) with each of its parts in a different colour
上shàngup; upper; above; previous
  • ⺊divination form of 卜 · bǔ
  • 一one · yī

Memory aidA short stroke above the line: up, on top.

The character 面 (miàn) drawn as one shape
面miànface

面 is a single shape of 9 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

Memory aidDrawn from a face inside its outline.

How to write 上面

上 3 strokes · 面 9 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

上面 (shàngmiàn) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 上面 (shàngmiàn). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 上面

Words with 上

上shàng · up上午shàngwǔ · morning (forenoon)上课shàngkè · to go to class上学shàngxué · to go to school早上zǎoshang · morning晚上wǎnshang · evening上班shàngbān · to go to work路上lùshang · on the road上来shànglái · to come up上去shàngqù · to go up

Words with 面

前面qiánmiàn · front后面hòumiàn · back面条儿miàntiáor · noodles面miàn · noodles面条miàntiáo · noodles下面xiàmiàn · below里面lǐmiàn · inside外面wàimiàn · outside面包miànbāo · bread见面jiànmiàn · meet/see somebody

More words: Useful Extras

那儿nàr · there男人nánrén · man女人nǚrén · woman第dì · ordinal prefix下面xiàmiàn · below左zuǒ · left右yòu · right病bìng · illness

FAQs

上面 (shàngmiàn) means “above, on top” or “on top of”. It is not on the official HSK lists, but we teach it with HSK 2 because learners need it early.
Say it shàngmiàn: shàng with a 4th tone, then miàn with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 上面 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type shangmian with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 上面 from the suggestions. Typing shangmian into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
上面 is not on the official HSK 2.0 word lists. It is a useful extra on our HSK 2 list, because learners need it from the start.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.