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自下而上

Mandarin · pinyin zì xià ér shàng

(idiom) from bottom to top; from the grass roots up; bottom-up

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Characters in this entry

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

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–2–4 · zi4 xia4 er2 shang4

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi6 haa6 ji4 soeng6

Cantonese word readings for 自下而上. 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) from below to top
(idiomatic) bottom-up

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

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