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Chinese Character/Word:

Definition(s) for: 高不成低不就

Hanzi Pinyin Definition(s)
高不成低不就 gāo bù chéng dī bù jiù - can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one

List Ranking:

Where rank 1 is most common, and higher numbers are less common.

HSK 2 Level (2012) HSK 3 Band (2022) SUBTLEX-CH BeijingUni Global BeijingUni Weibo
- - - 87,993 59,690

Individual Character Breakdown:

Simp Pinyin Eng
高 gāo- surname Gao
高 gāo- high
- tall
- above average
- loud
- your (honorific)
不 bù- no; not so
- (bound form) not; un-
成 chéng- surname Cheng
- short name for Chengdu 成都[Cheng2du1]
成 chéng- to succeed
- to finish
- to complete
- to accomplish
- to become
- to turn into
- to be all right
- OK!
- one tenth
低 dī- low
- beneath
- to lower (one's head)
- to let droop
- to hang down
- to incline
不 bù- no; not so
- (bound form) not; un-
就 jiù- (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then
- (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after
- (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly
- only; as little as
- as much as; as many as
- to approach; to move towards
- to undertake; to engage in
- (often followed by 著|着[zhe5]) taking advantage of
- (of food) to go with
- with regard to; concerning
- (pattern: 就[jiu4] ... 也[ye3] ...) even if ... still ...
- (pattern: 不[bu4] ... 就[jiu4] ...) if not ... then must be ...

Other Words Containing 高不成低不就

Sorted by the 'SUBTLEX-CH' rank because that seems like the most reliable. Words without a SUBTLEX-CH rank are ignored for being too rare.

Word HSK 2 Level (2012) HSK 3 Band (2022) SUBTLEX-CH BeijingUni Global BeijingUni Weibo