越级 (yuè jí) — to bypass one's immediate superior (in a hierarchy); to skip a grade or rank (especially in school or promotions)

Definition

越级 means to skip a level — either reporting over your boss's head, or advancing past an intermediate rank/grade (e.g. skipping a school grade or promotion step).

verb
to bypass one's immediate superior (in a hierarchy)to skip a grade or rank (especially in school or promotions)

Examples

  • 越级。
    Tā yīn wèi bù mǎn ér zhí jiē yuè jí xiàng zǒng jīng lǐ tóu sù.
    He was dissatisfied and directly bypassed his supervisor to complain to the general manager.
  • ，越级。
    Xiǎo míng chéng jì tài hǎo, xué xiào tóng yì tā yuè jí shēng shàng liù nián jí.
    Xiaoming's grades were so good that the school allowed him to skip a grade and go to sixth grade.
  • ，。
    Tā yuè le yī jí, zhí jiē dāng shàng le bù mén jīng lǐ.
    He skipped one rank and became department manager directly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

越yuèskip
级jírank

越 means skip or bypass, and 级 is rank or grade, together describing bypassing a level.

Characters in this word

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
走走zǒuto walk or run
Sound part声符shēngfú
戉
戉yuè越yuè
Same sound today

越 is built from 走 (to walk or run) and 戉 (which supplies the sound); the 走 part shows the idea of going over or crossing.

Open 越 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 級; 级 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí級jí
Same sound today

The traditional form 級 has 糹 (thread) and 及 as a sound part; its original sense was a sequence related to silk. The simplified 级 is a later shorthand.

Open 级 →

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