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上游

shàngyóu
noun HSK 7-9 #14,244

Meanings

  1. 1 upper reaches (of a river)
  2. 2 upstream; advanced position

Characters

上
shàng
upper; above
游
yóu
to flow; to swim
Literally 'upper flow' - the part of a river closer to its source.

Examples

HSK 4
长江上游水流很急。
Chángjiāng shàngyóu shuǐliú hěn jí.
The upper reaches of the Yangtze River have a very fast current.
HSK 4
他们的成绩在班里名列上游。
Tāmen de chéngjì zài bānlǐ míngliè shàngyóu.
Their grades rank near the top of the class.
HSK 7-9
这家公司是上游供应商。
Zhèjiā gōngsī shì shàngyóu gōngyìngshāng.
This company is an upstream supplier.

Tips

usage
上游 is widely used figuratively in business to mean 'upstream' in a supply chain - 上游企业 (upstream companies) supply raw materials, while 下游企业 (downstream companies) make finished products. Also used for academic rankings: 成绩上游 means near the top.

Stroke Order

上 shàng
游 yóu