上有天堂下有苏杭

上有天堂下有蘇杭

shàngyǒutiāntángxiàyǒuSūHáng

phrase

Meanings

1 in heaven there is paradise, on earth there is Suzhou and Hangzhou
2 proverb praising the beauty of Suzhou and Hangzhou

Characters

have / there is

have / there is

Examples

人们常说:上有天堂,下有苏杭。

Rénmen cháng shuō: shàng yǒu tiāntáng, xià yǒu Sū Háng.

People often say: in heaven there is paradise, on earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.

来到西湖,才真正体会到上有天堂下有苏杭的意思。

Lái dào Xīhú, cái zhēnzhèng tǐhuì dào shàng yǒu tiāntáng xià yǒu Sū Háng de yìsi.

Only after coming to West Lake do you truly understand the meaning of 'in heaven there is paradise, on earth there is Suzhou and Hangzhou'.

Tips

culture

The saying is attested from the Southern Song — Hangzhou was then the imperial capital Lin'an and Suzhou was China's richest commercial city, both famous for canals, gardens and silk. Today 苏杭 is still a marketing shorthand for upscale travel in the Jiangnan region.

Stroke Order

上 shàng

有 yǒu

天 tiān

堂 táng

下 xià

苏 sū

杭 Háng