📖 Meaning
To side with and cover for one's subordinates or colleagues while deceiving those above. It describes officials who form factions below the throne and hide the truth from their superiors or the ruler. The idiom condemns disloyal behavior that undermines the integrity of governance.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Annals of Emperor Wu' in the Book of Han (汉书·武帝纪), where Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty decreed the principles of rewarding good and dismissing evil in governance. He declared that those who collude with subordinates to deceive their superiors deserve death, while those who flatter superiors to oppress subordinates deserve punishment. This was part of a broader policy to encourage virtue and expel wrongdoing from office. The edict became a classical standard for judging the loyalty and conduct of officials.
💡 Example Usage
此人权倾朝野，附下罔上，终遭御史弹劾罢官。
Wielding enormous power at court, he colluded with subordinates and deceived his superiors, until he was finally impeached and dismissed by the censors.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 附下罔上
- Pinyin: fù xià wǎng shàng
- Literal Translation: collude with subordinates, deceive, superiors
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4