How do you pronounce 百尺竿头?

百尺竿头 is pronounced as "bǎi chǐ gān tóu" in Mandarin Chinese.

百尺竿头

Q: What does 百尺竿头 mean?

百尺竿头 (bǎi chǐ gān tóu) literally means "Hundred foot pole top" and metaphorically means "Already at a very high level of attainment". It belongs to the Success & Perseverance category of Chinese idioms.

Q: When is 百尺竿头 used?

百尺竿头 is used when Even after becoming CEO, she continued to study and improve.

百尺竿头 (bǎi chǐ gān tóu) literally means “hundred foot pole top” and expresses “already at a very high level of attainment”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving success and perseverance.

Also searched as: bai chi gan tou, bai chi gan tou,百尺竿头 meaning, 百尺竿头 in english

Already at a very high level of attainment

Pronunciation: bǎi chǐ gān tóu Literal meaning: Hundred foot pole top

Origin & Usage

A verse of the Tang Chan master Changsha Jingcen, recorded in the Jingde Chuandenglu: a man at the top of a hundred-foot (百尺) pole (竿头) has attained something, but it is not yet real — he must step forward from there. Standing at the tip already looks like the end of the climb, which is exactly the danger. The phrase is nearly always used in its full form 百尺竿头，更进一步, and it is what Chinese says to someone who has just done well, which makes it encouragement and a warning in the same breath.

Examples

English: "Even after becoming CEO, she continued to study and improve"

Chinese: 即使成为CEO后，她仍在不断学习提高

Related Chinese Idioms

Similar idioms about success & perseverance

千锤百炼

qiān chuí bǎi liàn

Perfected through repeated refinement

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百发百中

bǎi fā bǎi zhòng

Perfect accuracy every single time

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百思不解

bǎi sī bù jiě

Unable to understand despite much thought

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百年大计

bǎi nián dà jì

Long-term plan; matter of lasting importance

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百无聊赖

bǎi wú liáo lài

Utterly bored; at loose ends

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揭竿而起

jiē gān ér qǐ

Grassroots uprising

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得寸进尺

dé cùn jìn chǐ

Take advantage by demanding increasingly more

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玉汝于成

yù rǔ yú chéng

Adversity is what finishes you

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 百尺竿头 mean in English?

百尺竿头 (bǎi chǐ gān tóu) literally translates to “Hundred foot pole top” and is used to express “Already at a very high level of attainment”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Success & Perseverance category.