Chinese idiom · 成语
不可企及
Meaning
Beyond reach; unattainable heights.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary argumentA close literary antecedent occurs in Liu Mian's Tang letter Da Quzhou Zheng Shijun Lunwen Shu (答衢州鄭使君論文書), preserved in Quan Tang Wen, volume 527. Drawing on a distinction in the Analects, Liu contrasts the sage's accessible cultural expression with an aspect of the sage's nature that cannot simply be reached. His wording includes 不可企而及之.
The later compact expression makes reaching upward a metaphor for attaining a level of ability or achievement. It is not originally a story of someone attempting an impossible climb. Modern speakers use it when a standard seems far beyond their present reach.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
刚开始学琴时，我觉得老师的水平不可企及。
When I first began learning the instrument, my teacher's level seemed beyond reach.
Describes a perceived gap; it need not assert that improvement will always be impossible.