上行下效 shàngxíngxiàxiào as those above act, so those below follow Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 上 shàng adjectivenoun upper top; higher; superior; better; used to describe something in a higher position or rank行 xíng verb to do to do; to perform; to carry out; to engage in下 xià inferior lower in rank, quality, or grade效 xiào verb to imitate (bound form) to imitate; to follow the example of