上层建筑 (shàng céng jiàn zhù) — superstructure (the political, legal, and ideological institutions built on a society's economic base)

Definition

A Marxist term for the political, legal, and ideological systems that grow out of a society's economic base. Paired with 经济基础, which it depends on.

noun
superstructure (the political, legal, and ideological institutions built on a society's economic base)

Examples

  • 上层建筑。
    Jīng jì jī chǔ jué dìng shàng céng jiàn zhù.
    The economic base determines the superstructure.
  • 上层建筑。
    Wǒ men yào zhòng shì shàng céng jiàn zhù de jiàn shè.
    We must attach importance to the construction of the superstructure.
  • 上层建筑。
    Fǎ lǜ shì shàng céng jiàn zhù de zhòng yào zǔ chéng bù fen.
    Law is an important part of the superstructure.

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.

上层upper layer
上shàngupper层cénglayer
偏正Modifier + head
建筑building
建jiànbuild筑zhùconstruct
联合Side by side

上 and 层 give upper layer, while 建 and 筑 give building; together they name the structure above a society's base.

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 →

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 層; 层 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
曾
曾céng層céng
Same sound today

The traditional form 層 uses 尸 for the meaning and 曾 for the sound; the simplified 层 is a later abbreviation.

Open 层 →

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

  • 廴廴yǐn
  • 聿聿yù

The shape 建 shows 廴 and 聿, but it comes from an older drawing of a hand planting a pole into a base; the lower part of 聿 is not a brush.

Open 建 →

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 築; 筑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
筑
筑zhù築zhù
Same sound today

The traditional form 築 pairs 木 (wood) with 筑, which gives the sound; the simplified 筑 is a later shorthand.

Open 筑 →

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