后来居上 (hòu lái jū shàng) — (idiom) the latecomers surpass the old-timers; the later ones outdo the earlier ones

Definition

A chengyu describing later arrivals who surpass those who came first — often used to praise newcomers (a company, a generation, a student) overtaking established ones. Read as a single fixed phrase, not parsed word by word.

idiom
the latecomers surpass the old-timersthe later ones outdo the earlier ones

Examples

  • 后来居上，。
    Zhè jiā xīn gōng sī hòu lái jū shàng, hěn kuài jiù chāo guò le lǎo pái qǐ yè.
    This new company, with latecomers surpassing the old-timers, quickly overtook the established enterprises.
  • ，后来居上，。
    Zài xué xí shàng, tā hòu lái jū shàng, cóng zuì hòu yì míng biàn chéng le dì yī míng.
    In studies, he surpassed those who started earlier, going from last place to first.
  • 后来居上，。
    Nián qīng yí dài hòu lái jū shàng, zhè shì shè huì fā zhǎn de guī lǜ.
    The younger generation surpasses the older — this is a law of social development.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

后来later coming
后hòulater来láicome
偏正Modifier + head
居上occupy the top
居jūoccupy上shàngtop
动宾Verb + object

The 后来 latecomers 居上 occupy the top, so those who arrive later surpass earlier ones.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ居jū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

居 is built from 尸 as the meaning part and 古 (gǔ) as the sound part.

Open 居 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

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