The name 上海 (Shànghǎi) is a compound word formed from two Chinese characters: 上 (shàng), meaning "up" or "upon", and 海 (hǎi), meaning "sea". Historically, it originated during the Song Dynasty as the name for a settlement that grew at the confluence of the Huangpu River and the Wusong River (Suzhou Creek). The term literally translates to "Upon-the-Sea" or "Up to the Sea", which is a toponymic reference to its original location on the waterfront of the East China Sea and its function as a port where ships would "go upon the sea" or where the river "met the sea". Thus, its formation is directly descriptive of its geographic position and maritime significance.