📖 Meaning
Standing out remarkably and being selected as the foremost. It describes someone whose talents and abilities surpass those of their peers, making them the top choice among a group.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Book of Han (汉书), specifically the Biography of Dong Zhongshu (董仲舒传). Emperor Wu of Han issued a decree seeking talented scholars and in his address praised the scholars, saying 'you stand out remarkably as the foremost selected.' Dong Zhongshu was a renowned Confucian scholar of the Western Han dynasty who famously advocated adopting Confucianism as the state ideology. The phrase came to describe someone whose abilities far exceed those of their contemporaries.
💡 Example Usage
他在众多考生中褎然举首，最终被朝廷录用。
He stood out among the many candidates and was ultimately appointed by the imperial court.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 褎然举首
- Pinyin: yòu rán jǔ shǒu
- Literal Translation: outstandingly, selected, first
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4