上行下效

shàngxíng-xiàxiào

idiom

Meanings

领导贪污，上行下效，整个部门风气都坏了。

Lǐngdǎo tānwū, shàngxíngxiàxiào, zhěnggè bùmén fēngqì dōu huài le.

When the leaders are corrupt, those below follow suit, and the whole department's culture goes bad.

父母要以身作则，因为孩子总是上行下效。

Fùmǔ yào yǐshēnzuòzé, yīnwèi háizi zǒngshì shàngxíngxiàxiào.

Parents must lead by example, because children always imitate what those above them do.

history

From 《白虎通·三教》 by Han dynasty scholar Ban Gu (班固): 教者，效也，上为之，下效之 — 'To teach is to imitate; what those above do, those below copy.'

usage

Usually negative or warning in tone — describes how bad behavior at the top spreads downward. Less often used for good examples.

上 shàng

行 xíng

下 xià

效 xiào