名落孫山 míng luò sūn shān

fig. to fail an exam; to fall behind (in a competition)

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. to fail an exam
  2. 2. to fall behind (in a competition)
  3. 3. lit. to fall behind Sun Shan 孙山sūn shān (who came last in the imperial examination) (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
名 míng HSK 1
name; famous; place (e.g. among winners)
落 luò HSK 4
to fall or drop; to lower; to lag or fall behind
孫 sūn
grandson; descendant; surname Sun
山 shān HSK 3
mountain; hill; anything that resembles a mountain