高高在上

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Chinese

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high; tall high; tall
(located) at; in; exist
(located) at; in; exist; (before verbs) immediately involved in; right in the middle of doing
 
up; on; on top
up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up
 
simp. and trad.
(高高在上)

Etymology

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From the Classic of Poetry, poem 288 (《詩經·周頌·敬之》):


高高在上
[Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

高高在上
[Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Jìng zhī jìng zhī, tiān wéi xiǎn sī, mìng bù yì zāi.
Wú yuē gāo gāo zài shàng, zhì jiàng jué shì, rì jiān zài zī.
[Pinyin]
Let me be reverent, let me be reverent, [in attending to my duties];
[The way of] Heaven is evident,
And its appointment is not easily [preserved].
Let me not say that It is high aloft above me.
It ascends and descends about our doings;
It daily inspects us wherever we are.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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高高在上

  1. (originally) high aloft; (now commonly) setting oneself high above the masses; not in touch with the common people or reality; aloof and remote