The word "世上" is formed by combining two characters: "世", which represents the concept of the world, an era, or human society, and "上", which denotes a position above, on top of, or upon a surface. Together, they create a conceptual image of "upon the world", effectively visualizing the world as a stage or a broad, encompassing realm upon which all existence and human affairs take place. It's a spatial metaphor that locates things or concepts within the domain of the earthly, physical, and social world.