上梁

shàngliáng
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to put up the ridgepole of a new house
  2. 2 upper beam

Examples

HSK 4
Xīn fángzi míngtiān shàngliáng, quáncūn rén dōu lái bāngmáng.
The new house gets its ridgepole tomorrow, and the whole village is coming to help.
HSK 6
Lǎo fángzi de shàngliáng yǒudiǎn wāi le.
The upper beam of the old house has gone a little crooked.

Tips

culture
Raising the ridgepole is the high point of building a traditional house: the beam is hung with red cloth, firecrackers go off, and in many places the owner throws steamed buns and sweets down to the neighbours.
usage
In the saying 上梁不正下梁歪 (if the upper beam is crooked, the lower one will be too), 上梁 stands for parents and leaders.

Stroke Order

上 shàng
梁 liáng