Skip main navigation

New offer! Get 30% off one whole year of Unlimited learning. Subscribe for just £249.99 £174.99. New subscribers only. T&Cs apply

Find out more

Chinese characters

Chinese characters: 天 月 上 下
  • 天(tiān, sky;day):This character originally means the top of one’s head. It is used to refer to the sky or heaven that is above one’s head. Now, it also means “day”.
  • 月(yuè, moon):This character is derived from a picture of the moon.
  • 上(shàng, above):Originally, this character was composed of a short line and a longer horizontal line. The horizontal line of this character represents the horizon. The short line is above the horizontal line, which means something is above the horizon.
  • 下(xià, below):The opposite meaning of 上(shàng, above).

After learning this video, you can write these characters as their order in the worksheet to help you better understand what you have learned.

This article is from the free online

Learn Chinese: Introduction to Chinese Conversation

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now