📖 Meaning
To fail a competitive examination or selection process. It refers to someone who did not make the cut in a ranked list of successful candidates. The idiom is commonly used to describe failing the imperial examinations or, by extension, failing any important test or competition.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from a Song Dynasty story about a man named Sun Shan (孙山), who was known for his witty humor. Sun Shan and a fellow townsman's son both took the imperial examination together. When the results were announced, Sun Shan's name appeared last on the list of successful candidates, while his companion's son failed. Upon returning home, the townsman asked about his son's result. Sun Shan replied with a clever couplet: 'Sun Shan's name is behind the examiner, and your son's name is behind Sun Shan' — meaning both literally and figuratively that the son did not pass. The phrase was recorded in the Song Dynasty collection 'Gu Jin Tan' (古今谭) by Feng Menglong's era or earlier anecdotal compilations.
💡 Example Usage
他连续两年参加高考，都名落孙山，但他没有放弃，第三年终于考上了理想的大学。
He took the college entrance exam for two consecutive years and failed both times, but he didn't give up and was finally admitted to his dream university on his third try.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 名落孙山
- Pinyin: míng luò sūn shān
- Literal Translation: name falls behind Sun Shan
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4