Position In Modern Chinese Word "up / Down

There are three vital aspects in the knowledge of man: space, time and quantity. Different languages might have different grammar medium to express these three aspects. In Chinese language, the most common way in this grammar medium is the application of the position words.Among position words, "上 "and" 下"are quite complicated in grammar and meaning. Apperently "上 "or"下"is one syllable, one character, but in can be a morpheme or a word too. They carry different meaning in different context. The root meaning of "上" and "下" is the state of placement for the objects, whether they are up or down. But they tell different meaning if they are not in the position context. To understand their exact meaning is the most difficult point of learning language. On the other hand, "上" and "下" not only play a role as position word, they are closely connected to the thinking, mindset, customs ethics and Moral principles of Chinese. They explain the cultural aspect. Eg: honour the " 上" , humble the "下" ; " 上" and " 下 " join together mean the approximate number.This thesis base on the findings of the former researchers to exploit more on the research of the characteristics of "上 " and " 下 " , explore the cultural connotations, make comparison between Vietnamese language "tren/ duoi" to demonstrate the unique characteristics and cultural aspects, discuss about the phenomenon of positive and negative transference among Vietnamese students in learning " 上" and " 下 " in Chinese language.They are four aspects in the thesis:1. Introduction2. The grammar characteristics of "上" and " 下 " .3. The cultural connotations of "上 " and "下" .4. Position word " 上 " and " 下 " in Vietnamese language and the problem of positive and negative transference.