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状元 (zhuàng yuan) — (historical) the top scholar who ranked first in the highest imperial examination; (modern) the top scorer in a competitive examination; the most talented person in a field

Definition

Originally the #1 rank in the imperial exams; today used loosely for the top scorer of any exam, or as a compliment for the best person in a field (sales, sports, etc.). The note "see 眼 and 花" in some sources is a data error, not a meaning.

noun
(historical) the top scholar who ranked first in the highest imperial examination(modern) the top scorer in a competitive examinationthe most talented person in a field

Examples

  • 状元。
    Gǔ dài kē jǔ kǎo shì de zuì gāo róng yù shì zhuàng yuan.
    The highest honor in the ancient imperial examination system was being the top scholar.
  • ，状元。
    Tā kǎo shàng le běi dà, shì dāng dì gāo kǎo de zhuàng yuan.
    He got into Peking University and is the top scorer in the local gaokao.
  • 状元，。
    Tā shì gōng sī de xiāo shòu zhuàng yuan, lián xù sān nián yè jì dì yī.
    She is the company's top salesperson, ranking first in performance for three consecutive years.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 狀; 状 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán狀zhuàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 狀 pairs 犬 (dog) with 爿 as a sound component; the simplified 状 is a shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 状 →

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

The shape 元 shows a figure with two lines for a head, one connected to the body and one above it, emphasizing the head.

Open 元 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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