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名列前茅 (míng liè qián máo) — to rank among the best; to be at the top of the list

Definition

An idiom meaning to rank near the top — used for exam results, competitions, or work performance, not casual descriptions of people. It pairs naturally with 在…中 / 在…内 to specify the field.

idiom
to rank among the bestto be at the top of the list

Examples

  • 名列前茅。
    Tā zài zhè cì shù xué jìng sài zhōng míng liè qián máo.
    He ranked among the best in this math competition.
  • 名列前茅。
    Wǒ men gōng sī de yè jì zài háng yè nèi míng liè qián máo.
    Our company's performance is among the best in the industry.
  • ，名列前茅。
    Tā de lùn wén bèi píng wéi yī děng jiǎng, zhēn shì míng liè qián máo.
    Her paper was awarded first prize — truly among the best.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

列 combines 歹, drawn as skeletal remains, and 刀, a knife, to depict tearing apart.

Open 列 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In the older form of 前, 止 (foot) and 舟 (boat) showed a foot on a boat moving forward; in the current 前 those parts are shortened.

Open 前 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎoplant
Sound part声符shēngfú
矛
矛máo茅máo
Same sound today

茅 pairs 艹 (plant) with 矛 as a sound component; the plant part appears in full as 艸.

Open 茅 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesSuccess & Failure

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