独占鳌头

Pronunciation: dú zhàn áo tóu Literal meaning: Alone occupy the turtle's head

Origin & Usage

鳌 is the giant sea-turtle of Chinese myth, and 鳌头 became the standing expression for first place in the imperial examinations. Two explanations circulate for why. The commoner one is ceremonial: a great turtle was carved into the stone of the palace steps, and the candidate placed first stood alone (独) on its head (头), occupying (占) that spot by definition. The other is textual, deriving it from the Liezi's giant of Longbo, who hooked six of the creatures on a single line. The ceremony is the version most Chinese speakers know. First place in anything competitive earns it, and it keeps a formality that plainer words for winning do not have.

Examples

English: "She ranked first in the national examination."

Chinese: 她在全国考试中独占鳌头。