DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

下臺階

简下台阶 · 繁下臺階

Mandarin · pinyin xià tái jiē

to extricate oneself
way out

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Characters in this entry

下: xià · under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down
臺: Look up this written character
階: Look up this written character
台: tái · platform; unit; term of address
阶: jiē · stairs, steps; rank, degree

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–1 · xia4 tai2 jie1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

下臺階 · find source passages ↗ · 下台阶 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

haa6 toi4 gaai1

Cantonese word readings for 下臺階. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

(literally) to go off stage
(figurative) to get out of a predicament or an embarrassing situation

noun

chance to not lose face

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

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