圣上 (shèng shàng) — (historical, honorific) Your Majesty (used in direct address to the emperor); (historical, honorific) His Majesty (used when referring to the emperor)

Definition

Honorific used in direct address or reference to the emperor in imperial China. Stronger and more deferential than 陛下 — 圣上 is what officials say TO or ABOUT the emperor, while 陛下 is the formal court form of address.

pronoun
(historical, honorific) Your Majesty (used in direct address to the emperor)(historical, honorific) His Majesty (used when referring to the emperor)

Examples

  • 圣上，。
    shèng shàng, Chén yǒu yí shì qǐ zòu.
    Your Majesty, I have a matter to report.
  • 圣上，。
    shèng shàng Wēi fú sī fǎng, tǐ chá mín qíng.
    His Majesty, traveling incognito, observed the people's condition.
  • 圣上。
    Mǎn cháo wén wǔ jiē guì bài shèng shàng.
    All the civil and military officials of the court knelt and bowed to His Majesty.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

圣shèngholy
上shàngabove

圣 (holy) and 上 (above) combine to address the emperor.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聖; 圣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
呈
呈chéng聖shèng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 聖 puts 耳 (ear) beside 呈, which gives the sound; the simplified 圣 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 圣 →

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 →

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