上涨
shàngzhǎng · HSK 5
go up
📈 上涨 = 上 (up) + 涨 (swell/rise) — water or prices swelling upward
上 means up/above; 涨 (with the 氵water radical) originally describes water swelling or rising. Together they mean to rise — used for water levels, prices, stocks, temperatures.
上 — horizontal line above a baseline
上 is an indicative character (指事): a short stroke placed above a longer reference line shows the concept of 'above' or 'up'. The earliest oracle-bone forms used two horizontal lines for this; the modern shape added a vertical stroke for clarity. The core meaning of 'upper, above, to ascend' has stayed stable for millennia.
涨 — water 氵 + 张 (zhāng, phonetic)
涨 combines the water radical 氵 with 张 (to stretch, expand), which also gives the sound. Originally it described water swelling or rising, like a flooding river. The meaning later extended to prices or quantities going up.