登 堂 入 室

dēng táng rù shìdictionary entry

(lit.) from the main room, enter the inner chamber (idiom) / (fig.) to go to the next level; to attain a higher level

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-1c8b606a419c10e2. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

登堂入室 登堂入室 [deng1 tang2 ru4 shi4] /(lit.) from the main room, enter the inner chamber (idiom)/(fig.) to go to the next level; to attain a higher level/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

登
dēng
to scale (a height) / to ascend / to mount / to publish or record / to enter (e.g. in a register) / to press down with the foot / to step or tread on / to put on (shoes or trousers) (dialect) / to be gathered and taken to the threshing ground (old)
堂
táng
(main) hall / large room for a specific purpose / CL:間|间[jiān] / relationship between cousins etc on the paternal side of a family / of the same clan / classifier for classes, lectures etc / classifier for sets of furniture
入
rù
to enter; to go into / to join; to become a member of / (bound form) to conform to (as in 入時|入时[rù shí]) / abbr. for 入聲|入声[rù shēng] / (on product packaging, after {number n} + {classifier}) containing (n pieces) (from Japanese 入 "iri")
室
shì
room / work unit / grave / scabbard / family or clan / one of the 28 constellations of Chinese astronomy
Shì
surname Shi

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.