天高地厚

Chinese

		day; sky; heaven	high; tall	earth; ground; field earth; ground; field; place; land; (subor. part. adverbial); ‑ly	generous; thick (for flat things)
trad. (天高地厚)		天	高	地	厚
simp. #(天高地厚)		天	高	地	厚
Literally: “as high as the heavens and as deep as the earth”.

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 192 (《詩經·小雅·正月》):

謂天蓋高，不敢不局。
謂地蓋厚，不敢不蹐。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

谓天盖高，不敢不局。
谓地盖厚，不敢不蹐。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Wèi tiān gài gāo, bùgǎn bù jú.
Wèi dì gài hòu, bùgǎn bù jí. [Pinyin]

We say of the heavens that they are high,
But I dare not but stoop under them.
We say of the earth that it is thick,
But I dare not but walk daintily on it.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): tiāngāodìhòu

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄧㄢ ㄍㄠ ㄉㄧˋ ㄏㄡˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): tin¹ gou¹ dei⁶ hau⁵
• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): tiang¹ gao¹ di⁷ gao⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tiāngāodìhòu
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄧㄢ ㄍㄠ ㄉㄧˋ ㄏㄡˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tiangaodìhòu
    • Wade–Giles: tʻien¹-kao¹-ti⁴-hou⁴
    • Yale: tyān-gāu-dì-hòu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tiangaudihhow
    • Palladius: тяньгаодихоу (tjanʹgaodixou)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: tin¹ gou¹ dei⁶ hau⁵
    • Yale: tīn gōu deih háuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tin¹ gou¹ dei⁶ hau⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: tin¹ gou¹ déi⁶ heo⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰiːn⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ tei̯²² hɐu̯¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: tiang¹ gao¹ di⁷ gao⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thiang kau tī kău
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰiaŋ³³⁻²³ kau³³ ti¹¹ kau³⁵/

Idiom

天高地厚

1. the vastness of the world

   • 天高地厚，跼而蹐之。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: 漢．蔡邕《釋誨》

     Tiāngāodìhòu, qú ér jí zhī. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. (figurative) profound; deep (of kindness)

   • 這天高地厚情，直到海枯石爛時，此時作念何時止？ [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     这天高地厚情，直到海枯石烂时，此时作念何时止？ [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Wang Shifu, The Story of the Western Wing, 13^th – 14^th centuries CE

     Zhè tiāngāodìhòu qíng, zhídào hǎikūshílàn shí, cǐshí zuòniàn héshí zhǐ? [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 蒙老爺問到這一句話，真乃天高地厚之恩。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     蒙老爷问到这一句话，真乃天高地厚之恩。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Wu Jingzi, The Scholars, 1750 CE

     Méng lǎoyé wèn dào zhè yījù huà, zhēn nǎi tiāngāodìhòu zhī ēn. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

3. complexity of things

   • 我送給你這個看看，看了這種書，得點實用，那就不至於要學那一種不知天高地厚的名士了。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     我送给你这个看看，看了这种书，得点实用，那就不至于要学那一种不知天高地厚的名士了。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: 《二十年目睹之怪現狀》第二二回

     Wǒ sòng gěi nǐ zhège kànkàn, kàn le zhè zhǒng shū, dédiǎn shíyòng, nà jiù bùzhìyú yào xué nà yīzhǒng bùzhī tiāngāodìhòu de míngshì le. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

• 高天厚地

Derived terms

• 不知天高地厚 (bùzhī tiāngāodìhòu)

 

References

• “Entry #53001”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.