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功高蓋主

简功高盖主 · 繁功高蓋主

Mandarin · pinyin gōng gāo gài zhǔ

lit. one's accomplishments overshadow the authority of the sovereign (idiom)
fig. to be so influential that one rivals one's leader

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Characters in this entry

功: gōng · achievement, merit, good result
高: gāo · high, tall; lofty, elevated; Kangxi radical 189
蓋: Look up this written character
主: zhǔ · master, chief owner; host; lord
盖: gài · cover, hide, protect

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–3 · gong1 gao1 gai4 zhu3

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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.

功高蓋主 · find source passages ↗ · 功高盖主 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gung1 gou1 koi3 zyu2

Cantonese word readings for 功高蓋主. 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.

phrase

(idiomatic) one's contributions or feats are so great that one's monarch or superior feels uneasy and insecure

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

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