高屋建瓴

Chinese

high; tall house; room
to establish; to found; to set up
to establish; to found; to set up; to build; to construct
 
 concave channels of tiling
trad. (高屋建瓴) 高 屋 建 瓴
simp. #(高屋建瓴) 高 屋 建 瓴
anagram 建瓴高屋
Literally: “to pour water off a steep roof”.

Etymology

From 《史記·高祖本紀》 (Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Gaozu).

地勢便利，其以下兵於諸侯，譬猶居高屋之上建瓴水也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
地势便利，其以下兵于诸侯，譬犹居高屋之上建瓴水也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE
Dìshì biànlì, qí yǐ xià bīng yú zhūhóu, pìyóu jū gāo wū zhīshàng jiàn líng shuǐ yě. [Pinyin]
From such an advantageous stronghold, sending forth troops to subdue the feudal lords is as easy as standing on a roof and pouring down water from a jug.

Pronunciation

Idiom

高屋建瓴

  1. to sweep down irresistibly from a commanding height; to operate from a strategically advantageous position

Synonyms

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