更上一层楼 — “To scale new heights”

更上一层楼 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to scale new heights”. To attain a yet higher goal or level; to make further progress. Literally, “Ascend one more story”.

Frequency

更上一层楼 Pronunciation and Pinyin

更上一层楼 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
更	gèng	7	even more
上	shàng	3	up, above, on, previous, ascend
一	yī	1	one, a, single, whole
层	céng	7	layer, level, or floor
楼	lóu	13	multi-story building or floor

Example Sentence with 更上一层楼

经过团队的共同努力，我们终于完成了这个项目，但要取得更大的成功，还需要我们持续学习，更上一层楼

Through the team's collective efforts, we finally completed this project. However, to achieve greater success, we still need to keep learning and ascend to an even higher level.

Origin and Story of 更上一层楼

The idiom '更上一层楼' (gēng shàng yī céng lóu) originates from a famous poem by Wang Zhihuan, a renowned poet during the Tang Dynasty's Kaiyuan era.

One day, Wang Zhihuan visited the magnificent Stork Tower (Guànlóu) in Puzhou. He ascended to the very top floor to enjoy the panoramic view. Inspired by the vast landscape stretching before him, he penned a quatrain.

The most famous lines from this poem are: '白日依山尽，黄河入海流。欲穷千里目，更上一层楼。' (The white sun sets behind the mountains, the Yellow River flows into the sea. To see a thousand miles further, ascend one more story).

The last two lines, '欲穷千里目，更上一层楼,' convey the profound idea that to broaden one's perspective and see further, one must strive to reach a higher vantage point.

This sentiment later evolved into the idiom '更上一层楼,' which is now widely used to encourage people to make further progress, achieve a higher level, or scale new heights after having already made achievements.