馬上

See also: 马上

Chinese

		horse; surname	up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up
trad. (馬上)		馬	上
simp. (马上)		马	上
anagram		上馬／上马

Etymology

From 馬背上 (mǎ bèi shàng), "on horseback", by extension, "at once; immediately", on account of the horse being the fastest mode of transportation in ancient times.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): mǎshàng

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): maa⁵ soeng⁶
• Gan (Wiktionary): ma³ song
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): mâ-song

  (Meixian, Guangdong): ma¹ song⁴

• Eastern Min (BUC): mā-*siông
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): má-siōng / má-siāng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ma² siang⁶

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ¹ma-zaon₆ / ¹mo-zaon₆ / ⁶ma-zaon₆ / ⁶mo-zaon₆
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): ma³ shan⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mǎshàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mǎshàng
    • Wade–Giles: ma³-shang⁴
    • Yale: mǎ-shàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: maashanq
    • Palladius: машан (mašan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: maa⁵ soeng⁶
    • Yale: máh seuhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: maa⁵ soeng⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: ma⁵ sêng⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /maː¹³ sœːŋ²²/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: ma³ song
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma²¹³⁻²¹ sɔŋ¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mâ-song
    • Hakka Romanization System: ma^ˊ song
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ma¹ song⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /ma²⁴⁻¹¹ soŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: ma¹ song⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /ma⁴⁴⁻³⁵ sɔŋ⁵³/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: mā-*siông
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma³³⁻⁵⁵ suɔŋ²⁴²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: má-siōng
    • Tâi-lô: má-siōng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: mafsiong
    • IPA (Taipei): /mã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /mã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /mã⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ siɔŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Singapore): /ma⁴²⁻²⁴ siɔŋ²²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /mã⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: má-siāng
    • Tâi-lô: má-siāng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: mafsiang
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /mã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ²²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /mã⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ma² siang⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: má siăng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma⁵²⁻³⁵ siaŋ³⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai, Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ¹ma-zaon₆
    • MiniDict: 'ma^平 zaon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹'ma-zaan₃
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ma⁵⁵ zɑ̃²¹/
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /mɑ⁴⁴ zɑ̃/
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹mo-zaon₆
    • MiniDict: 'mo^平 zaon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹'mo-zaan₃
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /mo⁵⁵ zɑ̃²¹/
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶ma-zaon₆
    • MiniDict: ma^去 zaon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³ma-zaan₃
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ma²² zɑ̃⁴⁴/
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶mo-zaon₆
    • MiniDict: mo^去 zaon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³mo-zaan₃
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /mo²² zɑ̃⁴⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: ma³ shan⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /ma̠⁴¹ ʂan²¹⁻¹¹/
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /ma̠⁴¹ san²¹⁻¹¹/

Adverb

馬上

1. at once; immediately; without delay; in a minute; soon

   我馬上就回來。／我马上就回来。  ―  Wǒ mǎshàng jiù huílái.  ―  I'll be back in a minute.

   馬上要過年了，回去又要拼酒了。 [MSC, trad.]
   马上要过年了，回去又要拼酒了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Mǎshàng yào guònián le, huíqù yòu yào pīnjiǔ le. [Pinyin]

   Chinese New Year is coming soon, and I have to have drinking contests again when I go back.

2. (literally, literary) on horseback (especially of a military campaign)

Synonyms

• (at once):

edit

• 即便 (jíbiàn) (literary)
• 即刻 (jíkè)
• 即時／即时 (jíshí) (formal)
• 及時／及时 (jíshí)
• 應時／应时 (yìngshí)
• 當即／当即 (dāngjí)
• 當時／当时 (dàngshí)
• 登即 (dēngjí)
• 登時／登时 (dēngshí)
• 眼看 (yǎnkàn)
• 眼見／眼见 (yǎnjiàn)
• 立刻 (lìkè)
• 立即 (lìjí)
• 立時／立时 (lìshí)
• 立馬／立马 (lìmǎ)
• 第一時間／第一时间 (dì-yī shíjiān)
• 隨即／随即 (suíjí)
• 隨手／随手 (suíshǒu)
• 頓時／顿时 (dùnshí)

 

Dialectal synonyms of 馬上 (“immediately; at once”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		馬上, 立刻, 立即, 即時, 即刻, 隨即, 迅即, 立時, 當下, 當即, 登時, 頓時, 眼看
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	馬上, 立時刻, 立馬兒, 跟時, 跟手兒
	Taiwan	馬上, 立刻
	Harbin	馬上, 立刻亮兒
	Malaysia	馬上
	Singapore	馬上, 立刻
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	馬上, 馬上馬, 立刻, 立馬追即
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	跟著, 馬上, 眼看著
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	眼看, 當下, 說聲兒
	Wanrong	馬上
	Xi'an	馬上
	Xining	眼看
	Xuzhou	馬上馬, 馬展, 馬時
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	馬上, 眼看
	Lanzhou	馬上, 立馬
	Ürümqi	馬上, 立馬兒
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	馬上, 跟倒, 跟即, 立時, 立馬
	Wuhan	馬上, 接身, 眼看
	Guiyang	馬上, 立馬
	Guilin	馬上
	Liuzhou	馬上
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	馬即, 馬上
	Yangzhou	馬上
	Hefei	馬上
Cantonese	Guangzhou	即刻, 即時, 登時, 當堂
	Hong Kong	即刻, 立即, 即時, 當堂
	Taishan	即刻, 當下
	Dongguan	即午, 馬上
	Yangjiang	跟手
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	即刻
	Singapore (Guangfu)	即刻
Gan	Nanchang	馬上, 仰上
	Lichuan	馬上, 即刻
	Pingxiang	馬上
Hakka	Meixian	即刻, 即時, 馬上, 黏時, 力曆
	Yudu	馬上
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	黏時, 黏皮, 跈等, 馬上
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	黏時, 黏皮, 跈等, 馬上
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	黏皮, 黏時, 跈等, 馬上
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	黏時, 跈緊, 跈核, 登時, 馬上
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	黏時, 跈等, 馬上
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	黏時, 隨
Huizhou	Jixi	當時
	Shexian	馬上
	Huangshan (Tunxi)	馬上
	Xiuning	馬上
	Yixian	即刻
	Qimen	馬上
	Wuyuan	馬上
Jin	Taiyuan	跟手, 立馬, 立時三刻
	Xinzhou	眼看
Northern Min	Jian'ou	馬上
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	此刻, 馬上, 連刻
Southern Min	Xiamen	連鞭, 隨, 隨時, 隨煞, 現煞, 馬上, 煞
	Quanzhou	連鞭, 隨, 隨煞, 現煞, 馬上, 煞
	Jinjiang	隨時
	Zhangzhou	連鞭, 隨, 現煞, 馬上, 煞
	Taipei	連鞭, 隨時, 即時
	Singapore (Hokkien)	馬上
	Manila (Hokkien)	隨, 隨隨, 隨時
	Chaozhou	隨時, 馬上, 即時
	Shantou	馬上
	Jieyang	隨時, 靈時
	Singapore (Teochew)	馬上
	Leizhou	當下, 即時
	Haikou	即刻, 登場
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	馬上, 即刻
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	馬上, 即刻
Wu	Shanghai	馬上, 即刻, 隨即, 立刻, 立時, 頓時, 歇歇, 立時三刻, 臨時豁腳, 立馬造橋
	Shanghai (Chongming)	眼看
	Suzhou	馬上
	Danyang	跟手
	Hangzhou	立馬兒
	Ningbo	隨手
	Wenzhou	馬上, 馬上馬, 隨手, 肇
	Jinhua	馬上
Xiang	Changsha	馬上, 𪐀噠
	Loudi	馬下
	Shuangfeng	馬上

Related terms

• 趕快／赶快 (gǎnkuài)

Further reading

• “Entry #6830”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
馬	上
ば Grade: 2	じょう Grade: 1
on'yomi

Noun

馬(ば)上(じょう) • (bajō) 

1. horseback, the back of a horse
2. horseback riding

References

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
• Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
• Kitahara, Yasuo, editor (2002), 明鏡国語辞典 [Meikyō Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN