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高高在上

Mandarin · pinyin gāo gāo zài shàng

(idiom) situated high; aloft
(idiom) (fig.) aloof and remote; situated above the masses and out of touch with reality

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Characters in this entry

高: gāo · high, tall; lofty, elevated; Kangxi radical 189
在: zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest
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

1–1–4–4 · gao1 gao1 zai4 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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gou1 gou1 zoi6 soeng6

Cantonese word readings for 高高在上. 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

(originally) high aloft; (now commonly) setting oneself high above the masses; not in touch with the common people or reality; aloof and remote

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

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