高处不胜寒
gāo​chù​bù​shèng​hán

it is lonely at the top

  • created sense approved 高处不胜寒/高處不勝寒 · gāo​chù​bù​shèng​hán · it is lonely at the top — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    高处不胜寒 / 高處不勝寒

    gāo​chù​bù​shèng​hán

    it is lonely at the top

    Originally meaning the cold at high altitudes is unbearable, this is now used to describe how a person with high status or unmatched skill often feels isolated because they have few peers or true friends

    gāo​chù​bù​shēng​hán

    高处 (literal) → 高处/高處 · gāo​chù · high place 不胜 (literal) → 不胜/不勝 · bù​shēng · to be unable to bear 寒 (literal) → 寒 · hán · cold

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense