DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

獨占鰲頭

简独占鳌头 · 繁獨占鰲頭

Mandarin · pinyin dú zhàn áo tóu

(idiom) to come first in triennial palace examinations (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

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Characters in this entry

獨: Look up this written character
占: zhàn · divine; observe; versify
鰲: Look up this written character
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
独: dú · alone, single, solitary, only
鳌: áo · huge sea turtle
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss

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Mandarin tones

2–4–2–2 · du2 zhan4 ao2 tou2

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