Definition
上山 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to go up a hill or mountain'. You can split it to insert aspect markers or measure words: 上了山 (went up the mountain), 上过山 (have gone up the mountain). Besides the literal sense, it can euphemistically refer to dying and being buried, especially in rural areas, and in sericulture it means placing silkworms on straw bundles to spin cocoons. Note that the standard Mandarin pronunciation is shàng shān, though some dictionaries record shǎng.
v.o.
to go up a hill or mountain(euphemistic) to die and be buried (in rural contexts)
Examples
- 上山。Wǒmen míngtiān yìqǐ shǎng ba.Let's go up the mountain together tomorrow.
- ，。Tāmen shàng le yí cì shān, pāi le hěn duō zhàopiàn.They went up the mountain once and took many photos.
- 上山，。Lǎorén qùnián shǎng le, zàng zài le lǎojiā.The old man went up the mountain last year and was buried in his hometown.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.