上樑不正下樑歪

See also: 上梁不正下梁歪

Chinese

		main beam; crossbar; top tube	crooked; bent; angled crooked; bent; angled; improper; unacceptable; inappropriate	under beam; lower beam	askew
trad. (上樑不正下樑歪/上梁不正下梁歪)		上樑/上梁	不正	下樑/下梁	歪
simp. (上梁不正下梁歪)		上梁	不正	下梁	歪
Literally: “If the top beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shàngliáng bùzhèng xiàliáng wāi

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄤˋ ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄨㄞ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): soeng⁶ loeng⁴ bat¹ zing³ haa⁶ loeng⁴ waai¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): song-liòng put-chṳn hâ-liòng vâi

  (Meixian, Guangdong): song⁴ liong² bud⁵ zang⁴ ha¹ liong² vai¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shàngliáng bùzhèng xiàliáng wāi [Phonetic: shàngliáng búzhèng xiàliáng wāi]
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄤˋ ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄨㄞ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shàngliáng bùjhèng siàliáng wai
    • Wade–Giles: shang⁴-liang² pu⁴-chêng⁴ hsia⁴-liang² wai¹
    • Yale: shàng-lyáng bù-jèng syà-lyáng wāi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shanqliang bujenq shiahliang uai
    • Palladius: шанлян бучжэн сялян вай (šanljan bučžɛn sjaljan vaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂɑŋ⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ³⁵ waɪ̯⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: soeng⁶ loeng⁴ bat¹ zing³ haa⁶ loeng⁴ waai¹
    • Yale: seuhng lèuhng bāt jing hah lèuhng wāai
    • Cantonese Pinyin: soeng⁶ loeng⁴ bat⁷ dzing³ haa⁶ loeng⁴ waai¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sêng⁶ lêng⁴ bed¹ jing³ ha⁶ lêng⁴ wai¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sœːŋ²² lœːŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ haː²² lœːŋ²¹ waːi̯⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: song-liòng put-chṳn hâ-liòng vâi
    • Hakka Romanization System: song liongˇ bud` ziin ha´ liongˇ vai´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: song⁴ liong² bud⁵ zin⁴ ha¹ liong² vai¹
    • Sinological IPA: /soŋ⁵⁵ li̯oŋ¹¹ put̚² t͡sɨn⁵⁵ ha²⁴ li̯oŋ¹¹ vai̯²⁴/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: song⁴ liong² bud⁵ zang⁴ ha¹ liong² vai¹
    • Sinological IPA: /sɔŋ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ liɔŋ¹¹ put̚¹ t͡saŋ⁵³ ha⁴⁴⁻³⁵ liɔŋ¹¹ ʋaɪ⁴⁴/

Proverb

上樑不正下樑歪

1. (figurative) if leadership sets a bad example, their subordinates will follow suit

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 上樑不正下樑歪 (“if leadership sets a bad example, their subordinates will follow suit”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		上樑不正下樑歪
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	上樑不正下樑歪
Cantonese	Hong Kong	上樑不正下樑歪
Hakka	Meixian	上樑唔正下樑歪
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	上樑不正下樑歪
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	上樑不正下樑歪
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	上樑不正下樑歪
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	上樑不正下樑歪
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	上樑不正下樑歪
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	上樑不正下樑歪