脱颖而出
tuō yǐng ér chū
to stand out from the crowd
Character by character
脱tuō
slip free
slip free
颖yǐng
awl tip
awl tip
而ér
and
and
出chū
come out
come out
Example
在上千名竞争者中，她脱颖而出。
Among more than a thousand competitors she stood out.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
An awl kept in a bag will poke its tip through. From the story of 毛遂.
Learn this in Lesson 53 · HSK 6: 互联网巨头 (The internet giants)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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