独占鳌头 in English du2 zhan4 ao2 tou2 Meaning

Meanings

  • to come first in triennial palace examinations (idiomatic expression, 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)
  • to be the champion
  • to be the very best in any field

Simplified Characters

独 占 鳌 头

Traditional Characters

獨 佔 鰲 頭

Pinyin

du2 zhan4 ao2 tou2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

独du2alone 占zhan4variant of 占[zhan4] 鳌ao2mythological sea turtle 头tou2head