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自上而下

Mandarin · pinyin zì shàng ér xià

(idiom) from top to bottom; top-down

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Characters in this entry

自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
上: shàng · top; superior, highest; go up, send up
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
下: xià · under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4–2–4 · zi4 shang4 er2 xia4

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

zi6 soeng6 ji4 haa6

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) from top to bottom
(idiomatic) top-down

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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