高攀 (gāo pān) — to associate with someone of higher social status (often used self-deprecatingly); to climb up socially through connections
Definition
A self-deprecating verb for befriending or claiming kinship with someone of clearly higher social standing — usually used about oneself (often in 攀不起 / 哪敢攀). Implies the speaker is 'over-reaching' socially, not a neutral word for networking.
verb
to associate with someone of higher social status (often used self-deprecatingly)to climb up socially through connections
Examples
- ，高攀。Tā jiā nà me yǒu qián, wǒ kě gāo pān bù qǐ.His family is so rich, I can't presume to associate with them.
- ，高攀。Wǒ zhǐ shì yí jiè píng mín, nǎ gǎn gāo pān nǐ men zhè yàng de míng mén wàng zú.I'm just an ordinary person — how would I dare to claim kinship with such a prominent family as yours?
- 高攀，。Tā jué de zì jǐ gāo pān le duì fāng, suǒ yǐ chù chù xiǎo xīn yì yì.She felt she had stepped above her station by marrying him, so she acted cautiously in every way.
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