上下

shàng xià

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Noun Uncommon

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Definitions

1. up and down
2. top and bottom
3. length
4. about

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Word relationships

Related words

2 items

• 前后 qián hòu 前后 qián hòu around 前后 can also indicate approximate time, while 上下 is more for approximate numbers or age.: around
• 大概 dà gài 大概 dà gài roughly 大概 means 'roughly' or 'probably' and is more common in spoken Chinese; 上下 is more specific to numerical approximations.: roughly

Synonyms

2 items

• 左右 zuǒ yòu 左右 zuǒ yòu left and right When indicating approximate numbers, e.g., 三十个上下 and 三十个左右 both mean 'about thirty'.: left and right
• 大约 dà yuē 大约 dà yuē approximately 大约 is an adverb meaning 'approximately' and can be used more broadly, while 上下 is a noun placed after numbers.: approximately

Usage notes

Collocations

上下 is placed directly after a number or quantity to express approximation, e.g., 三十岁上下 (about thirty years old). It cannot be used before the number like 大约.

Common mistakes

Learners often confuse 上下 with 左右: 上下 is more common for age and numbers, while 左右 is more common for time (e.g., 三点左右, not 三点上下).

Example Sentences

3 shown

他 上下 打量着我。

He looked me up and down.

吉姆從樹 上下 來。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 804567)

你搭公車 上下 學嗎？

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 870323)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 上下

• 不相上下 不相上下 bù xiāng shàng xià: equally matched
• 上下其手 上下其手 shàng xià qí shǒu: to raise and lower one's hand (idiom); to signal as conspiratorial hint
• 上下班 上下班 shàng xià bān: to start and finish work
• 上下班时间 上下班时间 shàng xià bān shí jiān: rush hour
• 上下文菜单 上下文菜单 shàng xià wén cài dān: context menu (computing)
• 上下五千年 上下五千年 shàng xià wǔ qiān nián: Tales from 5000 Years of Chinese History in three volumes by Cao Yuzhang 曹餘章|曹余章[cáo yú zhāng]
• 上下铺 上下铺 shàng xià pù: bunk bed
• 上下文 上下文 shàng xià wén: (textual) context
• 上下床 上下床 shàng xià chuáng: bunk bed
• 不分上下 不分上下 bù fēn shàng xià: not to know one's place
• 天上下刀子 天上下刀子 tiān shàng xià dāo zi: lit. knives rain down from the sky (idiom)
• 浑身上下 浑身上下 hún shēn shàng xià: all over
• 举国上下 举国上下 jǔ guó shàng xià: the entire nation

Child Words of 上下

• 下 下 xià: down
• 上 上 shàng: on top