没上没下 — “Disregarding proper hierarchy”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 没上没下?

不分尊卑长幼，没有礼貌

没上没下 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Disregarding proper hierarchy”. Behaving without respect for status or seniority; familiar to the point of impropriety.

Frequency

没上没下 Pronunciation and Pinyin

没上没下 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
没	méi	7	not; have not
上	shàng	3	up, above, on, previous, ascend
没	méi	7	not; have not
下	xià	3	below, down, next, to descend

Example Sentence with 没上没下

那个孩子跟长辈说话总是没上没下，一点规矩都没有。

That child always speaks to elders in a disrespectful manner, showing no regard for proper etiquette.

Origin and Story of 没上没下

Jia Lian, with the clandestine arrangement of Jia Zhen and his son Jia Rong, secretly took You Erjie, Jia Zhen's second sister-in-law, as his concubine, establishing a life together outside the family estate. At times, when Jia Lian was unable to visit her himself, he would dispatch servants to deliver provisions.

One day, You Erjie inquired with a young attendant named Xing'er about the habits of Baoyu in the Jia family. Xing'er responded, "When Master Baoyu is in good spirits, he plays with the servants in a '没上没下' manner, showing no regard for their differing statuses. But when he is displeased, he ignores everyone."

This description of Baoyu's behavior illustrates the idiom, referring to someone who disregards social hierarchy and acts without proper deference.