DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

更上一層樓

简更上一层楼 · 繁更上一層樓

Mandarin · pinyin gèng shàng yī céng lóu

to take it up a notch
to bring it up a level

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Characters in this entry

更: gèng · more, still further, much more; to change, alter
上: shàng · top; superior, highest; go up, send up
一: yī · one; a, an; alone
層: Look up this written character
樓: Look up this written character
层: céng · story, layer, floor, stratum
楼: lóu · building of two or more stories

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–1–2–2 · geng4 shang4 yi1 ceng2 lou2

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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.

更上一層樓 · find source passages ↗ · 更上一层楼 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gang3 soeng5 jat1 cang4 lau4

Cantonese word readings for 更上一層樓. 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

(figurative) strive for a greater achievement (similar to 'take it to the next level')

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack