挑大梁

tiǎo dàliáng

idiom #37,783

Meanings

1 to play the leading role, to shoulder the main responsibility
2 to be the main pillar of a project or team

Characters

to lift, to raise

beam (of a house)

Examples

HSK 5

这次项目由她挑大梁，大家都很放心。

Zhè cì xiàngmù yóu tā tiǎo dàliáng, dàjiā dōu hěn fàngxīn.

She's taking the lead on this project, which puts everyone at ease.

HSK 5

老员工退休后，谁来挑大梁？

Lǎo yuángōng tuìxiū hòu, shéi lái tiǎo dàliáng?

Once the veterans retire, who's going to carry the load?

Tips

memory

The 大梁 is the main load-bearing beam in a traditional Chinese house. Whoever 'carries the main beam' holds up the whole structure - a vivid picture of taking on central responsibility.

Stroke Order

挑 tiāo

大 dà

梁 liáng