崭露头角 (zhǎn lù tóu jiǎo) — to stand out conspicuously; to burst into the l… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Chengyu for a talented person just beginning to show their abilities and attract public attention — like 'bursting onto the scene' as an emerging talent.

verb

to stand out conspicuouslyto burst into the limelight (of a talented person)

Examples

崭露头角。
Zhè wèi nián qīng yǎn yuán píng jiè zhè bù zuò pǐn zài diàn yǐng jiè zhǎn lù tóu jiǎo.
This young actor burst into the limelight in the film industry with this work.
崭露头角，。
Tā zài shù xué jìng sài zhōng zhǎn lù tóu jiǎo, bèi zhù míng dà xué lù qǔ le.
He stood out conspicuously in the math competition and was admitted to a famous university.
崭露头角，。
Zhè wèi zuò jiā zài xīn shū fā bù huì shàng zhǎn lù tóu jiǎo, xī yǐn le hěn duō dú zhě.
This author attracted many readers at the new book launch and stood out conspicuously.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

崭露show prominently

崭zhǎnprominent露lùreveal

偏正Modifier + head

头角head and horn

头tóuhead角jiǎohorn

联合Coordinate

崭露 lets the 头 and 角 of talent appear, like horns rising, so someone stands out conspicuously.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

雨路露

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

路

路lù露lù

Same sound today

露 pairs 雨, a rain-related meaning part, with 路, a sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

豆頁頭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu頭tóu

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.

Appears in

Idioms & Set Phrases

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