📖 Meaning
A dragon among men; a metaphor for an outstanding person, a hero or elite far surpassing ordinary people. It praises someone of extraordinary talent, virtue, or achievement who stands head and shoulders above the crowd.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from the Book of Jin (《晋书》), in the biography of Song Xian (宋纤), a famous reclusive scholar of the Former Liang state during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. The minister Ma Ji (马岌) once visited Song Xian, and after being deeply impressed by his learning and character, sighed: 'Now I know that you, sir, are truly a dragon among men' (吾而今而后知先生人中之龙也). The remark likens an exceptional individual to a dragon soaring among ordinary beings, and the phrase was later widely used to praise people of outstanding talent.
💡 Example Usage
他临危受命挽救了公司，堪称人中之龙。
He took on the mission in a time of crisis and saved the company, truly a dragon among men.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 人中之龙
- Pinyin: rén zhōng zhī lóng
- Literal Translation: man, among, of, dragon
- Category: Leadership
- Characters: 4