实际上
shí jì shàng · HSK 3
in fact
✅ 实际 = real + boundary; 上 = on top → on the real side
实 means real/solid, 际 means edge or boundary (as in 国际 international). 实际 = the real edge of things, i.e. reality. Adding 上 (on) turns it into the adverbial in fact / actually.
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.