高不可攀

gāobùkěpān

idiom #38,700

Meanings

1 too high to climb
2 unattainable; out of reach; (of a person) aloof and unapproachable

Characters

to climb; to reach for

Examples

对很多年轻人来说，北京的房价高不可攀。

Duì hěn duō niánqīngrén lái shuō, Běijīng de fángjià gāobùkěpān.

For many young people, Beijing housing prices are completely out of reach.

她看起来高不可攀，其实很容易接近。

Tā kàn qǐlai gāobùkěpān, qíshí hěn róngyì jiējìn.

She seems aloof and unapproachable, but is actually easy to get along with.

Tips

history

Traces to Han-dynasty statesman Jia Yi's (贾谊) 《陈政事疏》: 高者难攀，卑者易陵 — 'What is high is hard to climb; what is low is easy to overrun.'

usage

Two main targets: (1) goals/prices/standards that feel impossibly high; (2) people who seem aloof or socially out-of-reach. Compare with 望尘莫及 (can't even keep up with the dust).

Stroke Order

高 gāo

不 bù

可 kě

攀 pān