上朝 (shàng cháo) — to go to court (for an audience with the emperor); to hold court

Definition

A historical/imperial-court term meaning 'go to court / hold court' — either a minister reporting to the emperor, or the emperor receiving officials. Strongly formal and literary, used for dynastic China, not modern usage.

verb
to go to court (for an audience with the emperor)to hold court

Examples

  • 上朝。
    Dà chén men měi tiān dōu yào shàng cháo.
    The ministers had to go to court every day.
  • 。
    Tā shàng le yí cì cháo jiù gào lǎo huán xiāng le.
    He went to court once and then retired to his hometown.
  • 上朝，。
    Huáng dì jīn tiān méi yǒu shàng cháo, yīn wèi shēn tǐ bú shì.
    The emperor did not hold court today because he was unwell.

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 to
朝cháocourt

上 'go to' and 朝 'court' combine to mean going before the emperor.

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.

Originally, 朝 showed the sun rising above the ground while the moon was still in the sky, giving the sense of morning.

Open 朝 →

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