上天

shàngtiān

noun #9,776

Meanings

Shàngtiān bǎoyòu wǒmen.

May heaven protect us.

Zhè shì shàngtiān de ānpái.

This is heaven's arrangement.

Huǒjiàn shàngtiān le!

The rocket went up into the sky!

usage

上天 has two meanings: as a noun it means 'heaven/God' (这是上天的旨意); as a verb phrase it means 'to go up to the sky' (飞机上天了). Context makes it clear.

grammar

As a noun meaning heaven/fate, 上天 takes no article. As a verb phrase, 上 is the verb and 天 is the destination: 上天 = go up + sky.

上 shàng

天 tiān