升堂入室 — “Ascend the hall and enter the inner chamber”
升堂入室 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to reach a high level of proficiency or mastery in a field of study or skill, progressing from a superficial understanding to profound knowledge; to become highly proficient in one's profession”. Literally, “ascend the hall and enter the inner chamber”.
升堂入室 Pronunciation and Pinyin
升堂入室 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 升堂入室
Origin and Story of 升堂入室
During the Spring and Autumn period, Zilu, a disciple of Confucius, was known for his straightforward personality and his fondness for playing the se (a zither-like instrument), though he initially disliked reading.
Confucius guided him, and Zilu resolved to study and practice the se diligently.
However, his se playing often had an aggressive tone. Confucius gently corrected him, yet also offered praise, saying, "Zilu's skill in playing the se has already 'ascended the hall,' but has not yet 'entered the inner chamber.' He has achieved a certain level of accomplishment, but has not yet reached the highest realm of mastery."
Idioms Related to 升堂入室
Synonyms of 升堂入室
More idioms starting with 升
- shēng升táng堂bài拜mǔ母formally acknowledge each other's mothers
- shēng升tiān天rù入dì地search high and low
- shēng升guān官fā发cái财get promoted and get rich
- shēng升shān山cǎi采zhū珠seek pearls on a mountain
- shēng升dǒu斗xiǎo小mín民poor common folk
- shēng升chén沉róng荣rǔ辱ups and downs of life
- shēng升qiān迁róng荣rǔ辱career ups and downs
- shēng升gāo高zì自xià下rise from below
Recommended tools
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →Questions about 升堂入室
What does 升堂入室 mean?
升堂入室 (shēng táng rù shì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to reach a high level of proficiency or mastery in a field of study or skill, progressing from a superficial understanding to profound knowledge; to become highly proficient in one's profession”.
How do you pronounce 升堂入室?
升堂入室 is pronounced shēng táng rù shì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 升堂入室 literally mean?
Literally, 升堂入室 means “ascend the hall and enter the inner chamber”. It is used to mean “to reach a high level of proficiency or mastery in a field of study or skill, progressing from a superficial understanding to profound knowledge; to become highly proficient in one's profession”.
Where does 升堂入室 come from?
升堂入室 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 升堂入室?
古代宫室，前为堂，后为室。比喻学识或技能由浅入深，循序渐进，逐步达到很高的成就。