上行下效 — “When those in superior positions or authority set an example”

上行下效 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “When those in superior positions or authority set an example”. Their subordinates or followers tend to imitate their behavior, often implying a negative or undesirable outcome. Literally, “Superiors act, inferiors follow suit”.

Frequency

上行下效 Pronunciation and Pinyin

上行下效 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
上	shàng	3	up, above, on, previous, ascend
行	xíng	6	to walk, act, or a line
下	xià	3	below, down, next, to descend
效	xiào	10	imitate, effect, or dedicate

Example Sentence with 上行下效

公司的领导经常迟到，导致部门员工也普遍缺乏时间观念，真是上行下效。

The company's leadership often being late led to the department staff generally lacking a sense of time; truly, it's a case of superiors influencing inferiors.

Origin and Story of 上行下效

During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Jing of Qi felt troubled after his prime minister Yan Ying passed away, as no one dared to point out his mistakes to his face. One day, Duke Jing hosted a banquet for his civil and military officials. After the meal, they all went to the square to practice archery. Every time Duke Jing shot an arrow, even if he didn't hit the center of the target, his officials would loudly cheer, "Excellent! Wonderful! Your archery skills are divine, unmatched in the world!"

Afterward, Duke Jing recounted this incident to his minister, Xian Zhang. Xian Zhang told Duke Jing, "This cannot be entirely blamed on your officials. As the ancients said, '上行下效' (What the superiors do, the inferiors imitate). If the king likes to eat certain foods, his ministers will also like to eat them; if the king likes to wear certain clothes, his ministers will also like to wear them; if the king enjoys flattery, naturally, his ministers will often flatter Your Majesty."

Duke Jing found Xian Zhang's words very reasonable and sent attendants to reward Xian Zhang with many precious items. Xian Zhang shook his head and said, "Those who flatter Your Majesty do so precisely to gain more rewards. If I accept these rewards, wouldn't I also become one of those despicable, small-minded people?" He absolutely refused to accept the valuable gifts.

Later generations used the idiom "上行下效" to describe how subordinates imitate the actions of their superiors. In our modern society, don't we see many such people and situations? For example, if the head of a company frequently indulges in entertainment and neglects business, his subordinates will also neglect their duties; this is a clear case of "上行下效". The idiom generally carries a negative connotation; therefore, it usually describes undesirable situations.