堂上 (táng shǎng) — (archaic/formal) parents; (archaic/formal) Your Honor; magistrate; judge

Definition

Archaic/formal address with two unrelated senses: 'parents' (especially in the phrase 孝顺堂上) and 'Your Honor', used when speaking to or about a magistrate or judge.

noun
(archaic/formal) parents(archaic/formal) Your Honormagistratejudge

Examples

  • ，堂上，。
    Gǔ shí hou, zǐ nǚ yào xiào shùn táng shǎng, tīng cóng fù mǔ de jiào huì.
    In ancient times, children had to be filial to their parents and obey their parents' teachings.
  • ，堂上。
    Zài nà chū xì lǐ, táng shǎng pàn le zuì rén èr shí nián tú xíng.
    In that play, His Honor the magistrate sentenced the criminal to twenty years in prison.
  • '堂上'，。
    Tā de shū xìn shàng xiě zhe ' zhì táng shǎng dà rén ', yǔ qì shí fēn gōng jìng.
    His letter was addressed 'To His Honor the Magistrate' in a very respectful tone.

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.

堂tánghall
上shàngabove

“堂” hall + “上” above refers to people in the hall.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng堂táng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

堂 uses 土 as a ground/earth part and 尚 for sound.

Open 堂 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.