Abstract: “上+N/NP” is a verb structure,whose major syntactic function is to serve as  predicate or as the central word of predicate.However,it can be served as subject,object,attributive,adverbial and complement under certain conditions.The semantic source of the verb “上” (pronounced as “shang”) originates from its positional meaning,i.e.from the lower to the upper.By means of cognitive metaphor and extended generalization,“N/NP” has multiple semantic types.This structure is in accordance with the economic pragmatic principle and meets the cognitive demand as well.

Key words: “上+N/NP&rdquo, structure;verb structure, semantic generalization;cognition