事实上
shì shí shàng · HSK 3
in fact
事实 = matter + truth; 上 = on/upon → on the matter of truth = in fact
事 means matter/affair, 实 means truth/real, and 上 means on/upon. Together 事实上 literally lands on top of the actual facts, marking what follows as the real state of things rather than appearance.
事 — hand 又 holding a banner/tablet on a pole
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) grasping a pole or ceremonial banner used by an official, depicting the act of conducting court business. From this it came to mean 'affair, matter, business, service.' It shares an ancient origin with 史 (scribe) and 吏 (official).
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.