本文根據Talmy 所設定的「概念結構」，探討趨向詞「上」與「下」從上古至中古的用法。認為上古是「移動」和「路徑」融合而成，相關「方式」有隱而不顯與另外語詞表示兩種表述。中古除延續上古用法，增加另一「路徑」表示法，由指示趨向詞「來」、「去」充當。同時產生表方式的動詞含攝「移動」和「方式」，趨向補語表「路徑」。與移動相關的路徑模式，可由具體空間高低位移，透過認知心理，擴及平面直線水平位移，以及隱喻產生抽象上下位移。自移、致移與使動的移動類型，將影響客體的自主與非自主。

This article discusses the usage of the two directionals shang 上and xia下from Early Ancient to Middle Chinese with reference to Talmy’s conceptualstructure. It is considered that the usage of these terms in Early Ancient Chinesewas formed by a merging of the semantic components of Motion and Path, andthat Manner was expressed either implicitly or explicitly by the use of additionalcharacters. Shang and xia retained these early usages in Middle Chinese, and bycomplementing them with the deictic directionals lai 來and qu 去, added anotherway to indicate Path. This produced verbs expressing manner which includedsemantic components of both Motion and Manner, and which used directionalcomplements to express Path.From the basic expression of high and low displacements in concrete,physical space, the motion-related path model can be extended through cognitivepsychology to express displacement in linear spaces, and metaphors used toexpress abstract vertical displacement. Furthermore, autonomous, caused, andcausative types of motion will influence perceptions of an object’s volition andnon-volition.