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上台 (shàng tái) — to go on stage (in theater, performance); to come to power, to take office (in politics)

Definition

上台 covers both senses: 'to go on stage' for a performer (like 出场) and 'to take power' for a politician (like 就职). The stage sense often pairs with verbs like 表演 or 演出.

verb
to go on stage (in theater, performance)to come to powerto take office (in politics)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 上台，。
    Tā dì yī cì shàng tái biǎo yǎn, yǒu diǎn jǐn zhāng.
    He was a bit nervous going on stage to perform for the first time.
  • 。
    Xīn lǐng dǎo shàng le tái jiù tuī xíng gǎi gé.
    The new leader started implementing reforms as soon as he came to power.
  • ，。
    Tā shàng guò hěn duō cì tái, jīng yàn fēng fù.
    She has been on stage many times and is very experienced.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

上shànggo up/ascend
台táiplatform/stage

Going up or entering combines with platform to mean rise onto a stage or into power.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臺; 台 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 台 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (窗台, 电视台) it is 臺; in others (台灯, 台球) (台风) it is 檯 or 台 or 颱.

The traditional form 臺 is the 喬 + 室 form; earlier versions combined a sound part with 室, and an old reading saw it as a watch tower.

Open 台 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Government & Politics5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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