天上 tiānshàng the sky
the sky; the heavens
How to remember 天上: 天 day + 上 above = the sky.
Characters
How it is used
- "In the sky / up in the heavens," a location word: 天上有很多星星 (tiānshàng yǒu hěn duō xīngxing) there are many stars in the sky.
- Contrast 天空 (tiānkōng), which names the sky as an expanse/object; 天上 is where something is located.
- Common in the idiom 天上掉馅饼 (tiānshàng diào xiànbǐng) a pie falling from the sky - a windfall too good to be true.
Example sentences
- 看天上。 Kàn tiānshàng.Look at the sky.
- 天上有一朵白云。 Tiānshàng yǒu yì duǒ báiyún.There's one white cloud in the sky.