上水 (Shàng shuǐ) — to sail upstream; to add water (to a radiator, engine, or similar); to sprinkle water (on vegetables, fruit, etc. to keep them fresh)

Definition

As a verb, 上水 means to sail upstream or to add/refresh water onto something (a radiator, produce). The third sense — to sprinkle water on vegetables to keep them fresh — is a specific collocation learners may meet, not a general purpose of the word.

verb
to sail upstreamto add water (to a radiator, engine, or similar)to sprinkle water (on vegetables, fruit, etc. to keep them fresh)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 上水。
    Zhè sōu huò lún zhèng zài Shàng shuǐ.
    This cargo ship is sailing upstream.
  • 。
    Tā gěi qì chē shuǐ xiāng shàng le yí cì shuǐ.
    He added water to the car radiator once.
  • 上水。
    Tā měi tiān gěi shū cài Shàng shuǐ.
    He sprinkles water on the vegetables every day.

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
水shuǐwater

上 means to go up or add, and 水 means water or river; together they cover sailing upstream or putting water in.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

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