高高在上

Chinese

		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)		高	高	在	上

Etymology

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

敬之敬之，天維顯思，命不易哉。
無曰高高在上，陟降厥士，日監在茲。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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敬之敬之，天维显思，命不易哉。
无曰高高在上，陟降厥士，日监在兹。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th 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

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gāogāozàishàng

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄠ ㄍㄠ ㄗㄞˋ ㄕㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gou¹ gou¹ zoi⁶ soeng⁶
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): ko ko chāi siōng

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gāogāozàishàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄠ ㄍㄠ ㄗㄞˋ ㄕㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gaogaozàishàng
    • Wade–Giles: kao¹-kao¹-tsai⁴-shang⁴
    • Yale: gāu-gāu-dzài-shàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gaugautzayshanq
    • Palladius: гаогаоцзайшан (gaogaoczajšan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gou¹ gou¹ zoi⁶ soeng⁶
    • Yale: gōu gōu joih seuhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gou¹ gou¹ dzoi⁶ soeng⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: gou¹ gou¹ zoi⁶ sêng⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kou̯⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ t͡sɔːi̯²² sœːŋ²²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko ko chāi siōng
    • Tâi-lô: ko ko tsāi siōng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: koy koy zai siong
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ko⁴⁴⁻²² ko⁴⁴ t͡sai²²⁻²¹ siɔŋ²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ko³³ ko³³ t͡sai⁴¹⁻²² siɔŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ko⁴⁴⁻²² ko⁴⁴ t͡sai²²⁻²¹ siɔŋ²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ko⁴⁴⁻³³ ko⁴⁴ t͡sai³³⁻¹¹ siɔŋ³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ kɤ⁴⁴ t͡sai³³⁻²¹ siɔŋ³³/

Idiom

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