青云直上 (qīng yún zhí shàng) — (idiom) meteoric rise in one's career, rapid promotion

Definition

Chengyu for a 'meteoric rise' in one's career or official rank — typically success-driven, not just fast. Use for promotion arcs, not literal climbing.

idiom
meteoric rise in one's careerrapid promotion

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā zhè jǐ nián qīng yún zhí shàng, yǐ jīng dāng shàng le zǒng jīng lǐ.
    He has had a meteoric rise in recent years and is already the general manager.
  • 青云直上，。
    Nà wèi nián qīng guān yuán qīng yún zhí shàng, yǐn qǐ le dà jiā de guān zhù.
    That young official's rapid rise attracted everyone's attention.
  • ，青云直上。
    Tā píng jiè cái huá hé nǔ lì, zài shì yè shàng qīng yún zhí shàng.
    Relying on her talent and hard work, she has soared in her career.

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.

青云blue clouds
青qīngblue云yúncloud
偏正Modifier + head
直上straight upward
直zhístraight上shàngupward
偏正Modifier + head

“青云” is the high clouds and “直上” means going straight up; together they picture a rapid rise.

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.

An early form of 青 combined 生 and 井, both used for sound; the modern form has changed.

Open 青 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雲; 云 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 雲 is 雨 (rain) plus 云; 云 was the original writing for 'cloud', and 雨 was added to separate it from the borrowed sense 'to say'.

Open 云 →

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

The earliest form of 直 pairs 目, an eye, with an unclear stroke 丨.

Open 直 →

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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