上有天堂，下有苏杭 in English shang4 you3 tian1 tang2 , xia4 you3 Su1 Hang2 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) there is heaven above, and there is 蘇杭|苏杭[Su1 Hang2] below (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically the beauty and affluence of Suzhou and Hangzhou is comparable with heaven

Simplified Characters

上 有 天 堂 ， 下 有 苏 杭

Traditional Characters

上 有 天 堂 ， 下 有 蘇 杭

Pinyin

shang4 you3 tian1 tang2 , xia4 you3 Su1 Hang2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

上shang4see 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] 有you3to have 天tian1day 堂tang2(main) hall ， 下xia4down 有you3to have 苏su1see 囉囌|啰苏[luo1 su1] 杭hang2surname Hang