如日中天 (rú rì zhōng tiān) — at the zenith of one's power, influence, or career; in the ascendant

Definition

A chengyu describing someone's power, fame, or career at its absolute peak — like the sun at noon, highest and brightest. It is stronger and more literary than just saying someone is 'successful'.

idiom
at the zenith of one's powerinfluenceor careerin the ascendant

Examples

  • 如日中天，。
    Tā rú jīn de shì yè rú rì zhōng tiān, shì gōng sī lǐ zuì nián qīng de fù zǒng cái.
    His career is now at its zenith—he is the youngest vice president in the company.
  • 如日中天，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de shì chǎng fèn é rú rì zhōng tiān, jìng zhēng duì shǒu hěn nán chāo yuè.
    This company's market share is soaring; competitors find it very hard to surpass.
  • 如日中天。
    Tā rú rì zhōng tiān de míng qì ràng gè dà pǐn pái zhēng xiāng yāo qǐng tā zuò dài yán rén.
    His fame, at its peak, makes major brands vie to invite him as their spokesperson.

Origin

Characters in this word

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

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

日 originally drew the sun. A mark was added inside to tell it apart from similar square shapes.

Open 日 →

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

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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