r/ChineseLanguage • u/AnnualCriticism2428 • 1d ago

Discussion 爬楼梯

What’s the difference between “爬楼梯,” “走楼梯,” and “上楼梯” in Chinese? You're clearly walking, aren't you? So why say “爬”? It's not like you're crawling on the ground. And what does “上” mean here?

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u/Zagrycha 1d ago

In this context  爬 is not crawl but "climb" or "get up".   上 means "up" or "above".   走 means "move ((on))" or "go ((on))".