独占鳌头 dú zhàn áo tóu

to be the very best in any field; to be the champion

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 55924th word

Definitions

  1. 1. to be the very best in any field
  2. 2. to be the champion
  3. 3. to come first in triennial palace examinations (idiom, refers to the carved stone turtle head in front of the imperial palace, next to which the most successful candidate in the imperial examinations was entitled to stand)

Characters

Character Meaning
独 dú HSK 5
alone; only; independent
占 zhàn HSK 4
to occupy; to take up; to take possession of
鳌 áo
mythological sea turtle; variant of 鰲áo
头 tóu HSK 3
head; the top; end