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居高臨下

简居高临下 · 繁居高臨下

Mandarin · pinyin jū gāo lín xià

lit. to be in a high location, overlooking the scene below (idiom)
fig. to occupy a commanding position
to assume a haughty attitude

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Characters in this entry

居: jū · live, dwell, reside, sit
高: gāo · high, tall; lofty, elevated; Kangxi radical 189
臨: Look up this written character
下: xià · under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down
临: lín · draw near, approach; descend

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–2–4 · ju1 gao1 lin2 xia4

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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.

居高臨下 · find source passages ↗ · 居高临下 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to occupy the high ground; to overlook
(idiomatic) to be condescending; to be arrogant based on one's social position

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

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