上岸

shàngàn

verb #16,846

Meanings

1 to go ashore
2 to climb ashore
3 (fig.) to achieve a stable and secure life after a period of struggle

Characters

Examples

船到了，乘客们纷纷上岸。

Chuán dào le, chéngkè men fēnfēn shàng'àn.

The boat arrived, and the passengers went ashore one by one.

考了三年公务员，他终于上岸了。

Kǎo le sānnián gōngwùyuán, tā zhōngyú shàng'àn le.

After three years of civil service exams, he finally made it.

Tips

culture

上岸 has become hugely popular slang among Chinese youth, meaning to finally achieve stability -- passing the civil service exam (考公上岸), getting into grad school (考研上岸), or paying off debts. The metaphor is swimming in a sea of struggle and finally reaching shore.

Stroke Order

上 shàng

岸 àn