搭在上面

[Konstantinos]

棚子里有一张床板摆着各种题材的小人书，墙边还拉了几根绳子，一本本书翻开搭在上面，五颜六色的，很好看。

This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 20. What is the meaning of 搭在上面？搭(hang or put)在(in)上面(over or above), I cannot make it make literal sense. Your help?

 

[orzi]

没有固定的翻译答案。
就像晾衣服一样，这个文本描述的情景就是这么把书挂在绳子上的。

 

[skating-in-bc]

搭: set up, put up, place something in position
搭在這幾根繩子上面: put them in place over these ropes

 

[SuperXW]

 

[Konstantinos]

Thank you all for your answers. So it looks like that 在 is useless here?

一本本书翻开搭上面 = 一本本书翻开搭在上面？

 

[SuperXW]

Thank you all for your answers. So it looks like that 在 is useless here?

一本本书翻开搭上面 = 一本本书翻开搭在上面？

verb + 在上面 is a correct and common structure.
在 is the proposition, 上面 serves as a noun, or pronoun.

verb + 上面 is uncommon.
Sounds like the proposition 在 is omitted.

Why did you think 在 is useless here?

 

[Konstantinos]

verb + 在上面 is a correct and common structure.
在 is the proposition, 上面 serves as a noun, or pronoun.

What do you mean that "在 is the proposition, 上面 serves as a noun, or pronoun"? I thought that both "在" and "上面" are prepositions as in English "in" and "above" respectively.

Why did you think 在 is useless here?

Because I translate the sentence as following:

一本本书(one book after another)翻开(unfolded)搭(put)在(in)上面(above)
一本本书(one book after another)翻开(unfolded)搭(put)上面(above)

To put in above the ropes and to put above the ropes, for me they make the same sense. I don't know how does the "在=in" help here.

...

PS: Probably something like that:

搭(put)(在)in上面(the upper part of) = to put in the upper part of (the ropes)

???

 

[SuperXW]

What do you mean that "在 is the proposition, 上面 serves as a noun, or pronoun"? I thought that both "在" and "上面" are prepositions as in English "in" and "above" respectively.

In this Chinese context:
在 "at" [preposition]
上面 "the top/above" [noun/pronoun]

In Chinese, 上面 is commonly a noun/pronoun, and almost never used as a preposition like "on, up, over".
You may consider 上面 as a direction, like "the left, the right, the front, the back, North, South..."