出人头地

chū rén tóu dì

to get ahead; to rise above the crowd

Character by character

出chū
rise above

人rén
others

头tóu
by a head

地dì
’s place

父母希望孩子将来能出人头地。

Parents hope their child will get ahead in life.

Tone: neutral.

Learn this in Lesson 78 · HSK 6–7: 科举制度 (The imperial examinations)

A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.