a cat decided to exact revenge on a dog that had chased it up a tree.

[GoldfishLord]

This is the incredible moment a cat decided to exact revenge on a dog that had chased it up a tree.
In the footage, which has gone viral online, the feisty feline is sitting on top of branches while the crafty canine lies in wait at the bottom, barking.
Suddenly, the cat leaps out of the tree in an incredible aerial dive attack, landing directly on top of the dog.
The pair scrap for several seconds before the canine gives chase again.

Source: The Mirror

This dog picked the wrong cat to chase up a tree

The feisty feline jumped out of the branches to brawl with the canine before one of them was forced to accept defeat

www.google.co.kr

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I know the meaning of the bold part as a whole.
The dog doesn’t actually climb a tree. The dog chases an cat, which climbs a tree in an attempt to escape the dog. The dog stays on the ground, barking toward the top of the tree in which it thinks the cat is hiding.
However, I wonder what "up" means, given the context.

 

[jutfrank]

It means the cat climbed the tree. It went up the tree to escape.

 

[Tarheel]

The noun phrase is "a dog that had chased it up a tree".

 

[GoldfishLord]

The phrase is "a dog that had chased it up a tree".

Yes, what I'd like to know is the meaning of "up".

 

[Tarheel]

www.dictionary.com

 

[teechar]

You'll often see prepositions used after "chase":
... chased it down an alleyway.
... chased it into a corner.
... chased it off the premises.

 

[GoldfishLord]

What confuses me is that it seems to me that "up a tree" indicates that the dog climbed the tree".

 

[Piscean]

No, it doesn't.

 

[Piscean]

When working out the meaning of utterances, our knowledge of the world, and our common sense, are important.

a. That cat chased the squirrel up a tree.
b, The dog chased the squirrel up a tree.

Our knowledge of cats, dogs and squirrels tells us that in both (a) and (b) the cat went up the tree: that in (a) the cat almost certainly went up the tree; and that in (b) the dog did not go up the tree.

 

[GoldfishLord]

When working out the meaning of utterances, our knowledge of the world, and our common sense, are important.

a. That cat chased the squirrel up a tree.
b, The dog chased the squirrel up a tree.

Our knowledge of cats, dogs and squirrels tells us that in both (a) and (b) the cat went up the tree: that in (a) the cat almost certainly went up the tree; and that in (b) the dog did not go up the tree.

I know the meaning of "up". However, I'm not sure what "up" means.

 

[Piscean]

If you know the meaning of a word you know what it means.

 

[jutfrank]

If you know the meaning of a word you know what it means.

Piscean? What sorcery is this? Reincarnation or mere apparition?

 

[jutfrank]

What confuses me is that it seems to me that "up a tree" indicates that the dog climbed the tree".

Well, the sentence is ambiguous, so you'll have to determine which interpretation to take. Did the dog follow the cat up the tree? You decide. But remember—your interpretation may be wrong.

 

[Piscean]

Piscean? What sorcery is this? Reincarnation or mere apparition?

Apparition, a figment of your imagination.

Actually, my alter ego is taking a break.

 

[jutfrank]

Apparition, a figment of your imagination.

Sounds fishy.

 

[Tarheel]

Cats can climb trees. Mine once held onto a trunk of a tree in an effort to ambush a squirrel. (He missed.) As for dogs, no. Dogs don't climb trees.

 

[Rover_KE]

See also this thread.

@GoldfishLord,

Please don't post the same question to different forums simultaneously. Post on one forum only, wait for responses and then, only if you are disappointed with/confused by the responses (or there aren't any), post on another forum and include a link to the first forum thread.

(emsr2d2)

 

[GoldfishLord]

I still don't fully understand the "up" in "The dog chased the squirrel up a tree.".

Does "up a tree" mean that the dog climbed the tree a little?

 

[SoothingDave]

No! Dogs don't climb trees. Don't you have dogs in Korea?

The best a dog can do is stay on the ground with its back legs and reach up with its front legs. Which is not "climbing."

 

[Tarheel]

@GoldfishLord Please read post #16.

If I was a moderator I would close this one.