下 (xià) is the exact mirror of 上: where 上 marks the surface on top, 下 marks the space underneath. Attach it after a noun for "under / below / beneath": 桌子下 (zhuōzi xià, under the table), 树下 (shù xià, under the tree), 楼下 (lóuxià, downstairs). Like every localizer it comes after the noun and pairs with 在 (where something is) and 有 (what exists there). The one extra thing to watch is that the character 下 leads a busy double life — it is also an extremely common verb and direction word (下车 "get off", 下雨 "rain", …下去 "keep …-ing"). This page is only about the spatial localizer "under"; keep it separate from those verbal uses in your head and you'll be fine.
The "below" localizer: the space under something
The core 下 is the region directly beneath an object. It slots into the same 在-frame and 有-frame as the other localizers.
猫躲在桌子下面睡觉。
māo duǒ zài zhuōzi xiàmian shuìjiào
The cat is hiding under the table, asleep. — 桌子下面 is the place under the table.
我们在树下坐一会儿吧。
wǒmen zài shù xià zuò yíhuìr ba
Let's sit under the tree for a bit. — 树下, the shade beneath the tree.
楼下有一家很方便的便利店。
lóuxià yǒu yì jiā hěn fāngbiàn de biànlìdiàn
There's a really handy convenience store downstairs. — 楼下 = the floor(s) below, 'downstairs'.
下面, 下边, 底下: the fuller forms
The bare 下 clings tightly to a noun. When you need "underneath" as a fuller or standalone place word, use 下面 (xiàmian) or 下边 (xiàbian). But the word you will hear most in everyday speech is 底下 (dǐxia) — the colloquial workhorse for "underneath."
| Form | Pinyin | Register / feel |
|---|---|---|
| …下 | … xià | terse, glued to the noun (树下, 桌子下) |
| …下面 | … xiàmian | neutral, standard "underneath" |
| …下边 | … xiàbian | neutral, slightly more colloquial than 下面 |
| …底下 | … dǐxia | (informal) the everyday spoken "underneath" |
For "under the bed," bare 床下 sounds clipped; native speakers reach for 床底下 (chuáng dǐxia) or 床下面 in conversation.
你的鞋在床底下，弯腰就能拿到。
nǐ de xié zài chuáng dǐxia, wān yāo jiù néng ná dào
Your shoes are under the bed — you can grab them if you bend down. — 床底下 is the natural spoken 'under the bed'.
请在下面填上你的联系方式。
qǐng zài xiàmian tián shàng nǐ de liánxì fāngshì
Please fill in your contact details below. — 下面 = 'below' on a form or page.
桌子底下有一只猫，别踩到它。
zhuōzi dǐxia yǒu yì zhī māo, bié cǎi dào tā
There's a cat under the table, don't step on it. — 有 + 桌子底下 states what's under there.
Don't confuse localizer 下 with verb/direction 下
The same character 下 is one of the busiest verbs and directional morphemes in Chinese. As a verb it means "descend / get off": 下车 (get off a vehicle), 下山 (go down a mountain), 下雨 (rain falls). As a directional complement …下去 / …下来 means "continue" or motion downward. None of these are the localizer "under." The tell is position: the localizer follows a noun (山下 = at the foot of the mountain), while the verb precedes a noun (下山 = descend the mountain).
我住在山下，每天开车上山工作。
wǒ zhù zài shān xià, měi tiān kāi chē shàng shān gōngzuò
I live at the foot of the mountain and drive up it to work every day. — 山下 (place, localizer) vs 上山 (verb).
外面下雨了，你把桌子下面的伞拿给我。
wàimian xià yǔ le, nǐ bǎ zhuōzi xiàmian de sǎn ná gěi wǒ
It's raining outside — pass me the umbrella from under the table. — 下雨 (verb) and 桌子下面 (localizer) in one breath.
For "below" in a numeric range — "under 18," "below zero" — Chinese uses the formal 以下 (yǐxià), not the spatial 下; that belongs to the ranges page.
Common Mistakes
1. Fronting 下. The localizer follows its noun.
❌ 狗在下沙发。
Incorrect — the localizer follows the noun: 沙发下面, not 下沙发.
✅ 狗在沙发下面。
gǒu zài shāfā xiàmian
The dog is under the sofa. — 沙发 first, then 下面.
2. Confusing verb 下 with localizer 下. 下山 is "descend the mountain"; "at the foot of the mountain" is 山下.
❌ 我家在下山。
Incorrect — 下山 means 'go down the mountain' (verb); 'at the foot of the mountain' is 山下.
✅ 我家在山下。
wǒ jiā zài shān xià
My home is at the foot of the mountain. — noun 山 + localizer 下.
3. Using spatial 下 for a numeric "below". Ranges take 以下, not the localizer 下.
❌ 十八岁下不能进去。
Incorrect — for 'under 18' use the formal 以下: 十八岁以下.
✅ 十八岁以下不能进去。
shíbā suì yǐxià bù néng jìnqù
Under-18s can't go in. — 以下 for numeric ranges.
4. Dropping the localizer so the noun isn't a place. A bare object-noun can't be a location.
❌ 球滚到了车。
Incorrect — 车 alone isn't a place; the ball rolled 车底下.
✅ 球滚到了车底下。
qiú gǔn dào le chē dǐxia
The ball rolled under the car. — 车底下 is the place.
Key Takeaways
- 下 (xià) attaches after a noun for the space underneath: 桌子下, 树下, 楼下 — the exact opposite of 上.
- The everyday spoken word for "underneath" is 底下 (dǐxia); 下面 / 下边 are the neutral fuller forms; bare 下 is terse and clings to the noun.
- Keep the localizer apart from the busy verb/direction 下 (下车 get off, 下雨 rain, 下山 descend): the localizer follows the noun, the verb precedes it.
- For numeric "below" (under 18, below zero), use the formal 以下, not the spatial 下.
- Learn 下 in its 上/下 pairs: 楼上/楼下, 山上/山下.
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- 上 (shàng): On / On Top OfHSK 1 — 上 (shàng, often toneless shang) attaches after a noun for 'on / on the surface of': 桌子上 'on the table', 墙上 'on the wall', 网上 'online'. Broader than English 'on' — it marks any surface or domain.
- Localizers 方位词: Turning Nouns into PlacesHSK 1 — Localizers (方位词) — 上 (on), 下 (under), 里 (in), 外 (out), 前 (front), 后 (back) — attach AFTER a noun to make a place: 桌子上 'on the table', 房间里 'in the room'. Chinese needs them where English uses a preposition.
- 以上 / 以下 / 以内 / 之间: Formal RangesHSK 4 — A formal family of localizers bounds a number or a point — 以上 (over/and up), 以下 (under), 以内 (within), 以外 (beyond), 之间 (between). They trail the quantity — 三十岁以上, 一周以内, 两者之间 — and 以上/以下 conventionally include the boundary number.
- 桌子上有一本书: Existence with a LocalizerHSK 1 — To say something exists at a place, Chinese uses Place(+localizer) + 有 + indefinite thing: 桌子上有一本书 (there's a book on the table). The place is the subject, 有 means 'there is/are', and object-nouns need a localizer to become a place.