上午

shàng wǔ n.

morning (before noon)

The morning hours leading up to solar noon.

上 (above/before) + 午 (noon). The productive working hours between dawn and 12:00 PM.

Common Usage & Traps

  • 上午八点 — 8:00 AM in the morning
  • 八点上午 上午八点

    Broader time periods precede specific clock hours.

How does 上午 differ from 早上 (zǎoshang)?

早上 is early morning (breakfast time); 上午 spans the whole work morning up until lunch.

Starting work at 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM sits comfortably in the 上午 window.

Appears in Stories 6 stories

Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.

《我的一天》 (My Day by the Clock) HSK 1
~1 min read 72 chars
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Step through a full day—from morning routines to bedtime—and pick up practical phrases for telling time and talking about your own schedule with a typical Chinese rhyme.

  • 上午 四小时,中午吃中饭。

《电脑没脑子》 (Computers Have No Brains) HSK 1
~1 min read 76 chars
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This playful poem will make you smile as you explore how Chinese words like 'computer' and 'phone' can be funnier than they seem. Get ready to enjoy simple HSK 1 vocabulary and a twist of logic!

  • 上班和下班,上课和下课, 上午 和下午。

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