a structure that is built on top of something, for example the upper parts of a ship or the part of a building above the ground compare substructureTopics Buildingsc2(船舶的)上层建筑,船楼;(建筑物的)上部结构 - (formal)
the systems and beliefs in a society that have developed from more simple ones (社会的)上层建筑 the relationship between the economic base of society and the political superstructure of power 社会的经济基础和权力的政治上层建筑之间的关系