📖 Meaning
To fawn upon and flatter those in higher positions while treating those beneath oneself with arrogance and contempt. It describes a person who curries favor with superiors but bullies subordinates, revealing a deeply opportunistic and two-faced character.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel 'Qiludeng' (《歧路灯》) by Li Luyuan, specifically Chapter 51. The author observed that certain local gentry and officials habitually groveled before their superiors while exploiting and mistreating those below them. Li Luyuan condemned this behavior as a moral failing common among the corrupt rural elite of his time. The phrase has since become a standard critique of sycophantic and bullying behavior in hierarchical settings.
💡 Example Usage
他那种谄上骄下的做派，同事们早就看不惯了。
His way of fawning on the boss while lording it over everyone else has long been resented by his colleagues.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 谄上骄下
- Pinyin: chǎn shàng jiāo xià
- Literal Translation: flatter, above, arrogant, below
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4