高大上

What does 高大上 mean?

高大上 is short for 高端大气上档次: high-end, imposing, classy. It reviews anything that looks premium, from a hotel lobby to a friend's wedding video, and half the time it is sincere while the other half it winks at pretension. Photograph a bowl of instant noodles until it resembles a five-star dish and you have achieved 高大上. The word's charm is its vagueness: whatever looks expensive and slightly out of reach qualifies.

Where does 高大上 come from?

The full phrase 高端大气上档次 was everywhere in 2013, and netizens clipped it to three characters for speed. The People's Daily Overseas Edition included the shorthand in its year-end feature The Hot Words We Chased in 2013 on 2013-12-12, noting that the clipped version was what people actually said. Years later the same urge to look effortlessly elevated resurfaced in 凡尔赛, which shows off from behind a fake complaint.

How to use 高大上

• 这家咖啡馆装修得挺高大上，翻开菜单一看，价格更高大上。
  Zhè jiā kāfēiguǎn zhuāngxiū de tǐng gāo dà shàng, fānkāi càidān yí kàn, jiàgé gèng gāo dà shàng.
  This café's decor is seriously high-end; then you open the menu and the prices are even more high-end.
• 用泡面碗装牛排拍照，硬是拍出了高大上的感觉。
  Yòng pàomiàn wǎn zhuāng niúpái pāizhào, yìng shì pāi chū le gāo dà shàng de gǎnjué.
  Plating a steak in an instant-noodle bowl, and somehow the photo still came out looking luxurious.