祖上

zǔshàng
noun #53,418

Meanings

  1. 1 ancestors; forebears

Examples

HSK 3
Tā zǔshàng shì cóng Shāndōng bān guòlai de.
His ancestors moved here from Shandong.
HSK 7-9
Tīngshuō wǒmen jiā zǔshàng zuò guo guān, hái liúxià le yí kuài páibiǎn.
I've heard our family's ancestors were officials and left behind an inscribed plaque.

Tips

usage
Used when telling a family's history: it means the earlier generations of one's own family taken together, as in 他祖上是… 'his ancestors were…'. 祖先 'ancestor' is wider and can mean the forebears of a whole clan or people.

Stroke Order

祖 zǔ
上 shàng