崭露头角

zhǎn lù tóu jiǎo

to begin to show one’s talent

Character by character

崭zhǎn
prominent

露lù
show

头tóu
head

角jiǎo
horns

她在全国比赛中崭露头角。

She first made her mark at the national competition.

Tone: positive (praise).

For newcomers making their first mark; 露 is lù and 角 is jiǎo.

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