後來居上

Chinese

		later; later on; afterwards later; later on; afterwards; people with less experience; younger generation	reside	up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up
trad. (後來居上)		後來	居	上
simp. (后来居上)		后来	居	上
Literally: “late-comer is positioned above”.

Etymology

From a sarcastic comment by Ji An (汲黯) to the Emperor Wu of Han:

陛下用群臣如積薪耳，後來者居上。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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陛下用群臣如积薪耳，后来者居上。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

Bìxià yòng qúnchén rú jīxīn ěr, hòu lái zhě jū shàng. [Pinyin]

The way Your Majesty manages your ministers is like nothing but keeping firewood in a pile: it is the late-comers that get the top position.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hòuláijūshàng

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄡˋ ㄌㄞˊ ㄐㄩ ㄕㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hau⁶ loi⁴ geoi¹ soeng⁵
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): hō͘-lâi-ku-siōng / hō͘-lâi-ki-siōng / āu-lâi-ki-siāng / āu-lâi-ku-siōng

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: hòuláijūshàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄡˋ ㄌㄞˊ ㄐㄩ ㄕㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: hòuláijyushàng
    • Wade–Giles: hou⁴-lai²-chü¹-shang⁴
    • Yale: hòu-lái-jyū-shàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: howlaijiushanq
    • Palladius: хоулайцзюйшан (xoulajczjujšan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xoʊ̯⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hau⁶ loi⁴ geoi¹ soeng⁵
    • Yale: hauh lòih gēui séuhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hau⁶ loi⁴ goey¹ soeng⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: heo⁶ loi⁴ gêu¹ sêng⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɐu̯²² lɔːi̯²¹ kɵy̯⁵⁵ sœːŋ¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hō͘-lâi-ku-siōng
    • Tâi-lô: hōo-lâi-ku-siōng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hoxlai'kusiong
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hɔ²²⁻²¹ lai²⁴⁻²² ku⁴⁴⁻²² siɔŋ²²/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hō͘-lâi-ki-siōng
    • Tâi-lô: hōo-lâi-ki-siōng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hoxlai'kisiong
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔ³³⁻²¹ lai²³⁻³³ ki⁴⁴⁻³³ siɔŋ³³/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: āu-lâi-ki-siāng
    • Tâi-lô: āu-lâi-ki-siāng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: auxlai'kisiang
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /au³³⁻²¹ lai²³⁻³³ ki⁴⁴⁻³³ siaŋ³³/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: āu-lâi-ku-siōng
    • Tâi-lô: āu-lâi-ku-siōng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: auxlai'kusiong
    • IPA (Taipei): /au³³⁻¹¹ lai²⁴⁻¹¹ ku⁴⁴⁻³³ siɔŋ³³/

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• Middle Chinese: huwX|huwH loj kjo dzyangH

Rime
Character	後	後	來	居	上
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1	2/2	2/2
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	匣 (33)	來 (37)	見 (28)	常 (25)
Final (韻)	侯 (137)	侯 (137)	咍 (41)	魚 (22)	陽 (105)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I	I	III	III
Fanqie	胡口切	胡遘切	洛哀切	九魚切	時亮切
Baxter	huwX	huwH	loj	kjo	dzyangH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦəuX/	/ɦəuH/	/lʌi/	/kɨʌ/	/d͡ʑɨɐŋH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦəuX/	/ɦəuH/	/ləi/	/kiɔ/	/d͡ʑiɐŋH/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣəuX/	/ɣəuH/	/lɒi/	/kiɔ/	/d͡ʑiɑŋH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦəwX/	/ɦəwH/	/ləj/	/kɨə̆/	/d͡ʑɨaŋH/
Li Rong	/ɣuX/	/ɣuH/	/lᴀi/	/kiɔ/	/ʑiaŋH/
Wang Li	/ɣəuX/	/ɣəuH/	/lɒi/	/kĭo/	/ʑĭaŋH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣə̯uX/	/ɣə̯uH/	/lɑ̆i/	/ki̯wo/	/ʑi̯aŋH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hòu	hòu	lái	jū	shàng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hau6	hau6	loi4	geoi1	soeng6

Idiom

後來居上

1. the up-and-coming youngster outstrips the older generation; the pupil surpasses the master