高不可攀

gāobù-kěpān

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

HSK 5

她看起来高不可攀，其实很容易接近。

Tā kànqǐlái gāobù-kěpān, qíshí hěn róngyì jiējìn.

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

HSK 6

对很多年轻人来说，北京的房价高不可攀。

Duì hěnduō niánqīngrén láishuō, Běijīng de fángjià gāobù-kěpān.

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

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