📖 Meaning
To skip over established ranks and hierarchical order, especially in the context of promoting officials or personnel out of turn. It describes a rapid, unconventional rise that bypasses the normal sequence of advancement. The idiom carries a connotation of breaking protocol or rules in conferring status.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Book of Jin' (《晋书》), in the 'Biography of Zhao Wulun' (《赵五伦传》). During the Jin Dynasty, Zhao Wulun usurped the throne and, after his coup, rewarded all his fellow conspirators with promotions that skipped multiple ranks. The text records that these irregular promotions were so numerous they could not be fully counted, and even menial servants and stable hands were granted noble titles. The phrase originally described the chaotic and excessive bestowal of official positions in the wake of political upheaval.
💡 Example Usage
他在公司里超阶越次，不到两年就升到了副总。
He was promoted beyond his rank in the company, rising to vice president in less than two years.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 超阶越次
- Pinyin: chāo jiē yuè cì
- Literal Translation: exceed, rank, leap over, order
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4