更 上 一 层 楼

gèng shàng yī céng lóudictionary entry

to take it up a notch / to bring it up a 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-f683582f6759f57d. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

更上一層樓更上一层楼 [geng4 shang4 yi1 ceng2 lou2] /to take it up a notch/to bring it up a 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.

Other forms in these source records: 更上一層樓

更
gēng
to change or replace / to experience / one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided / watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard)
gèng
more / even more / further / still / still more
上
shǎng
used in 上聲|上声[shǎng shēng]
shàng
(bound form) up / upper / above / previous / first (of multiple parts) / to climb / to get onto / to go up / to attend (class or university) / (directional complement) up / (noun suffix) on / above
一
yī
one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yāo] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit
层
céng
to pile on top of one another / layer / stratum / floor (of a building) / story / (math.) sheaf / classifier for layers
楼
lóu
house with more than 1 story / storied building / floor / CL:層|层[céng],座[zuò],棟|栋[dòng]
Lóu
surname Lou

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.