翘楚

翹楚
qiáochǔ
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 person of outstanding talent
  2. 2 leader in a field
  3. 3 the best of the best

Examples

Tā shì guónèi réngōng zhìnéng lǐngyù de qiáochǔ.
He is a leading figure in the domestic AI field.
Zhè jiā gōngsī yīzhí shì hángyè de qiáochǔ.
This company has always been a leader in the industry.

Tips

history
From the 《诗经··广》: — 'tall and tangled is the brushwood; let me cut the chastetree ().' was a tree that stood out above the rest, so 翘楚 came to mean 'one who stands head and shoulders above the crowd.'
register
Formal / literary. Common in news headlines, awards, and corporate copy ('行业翘楚' = industry leader). In casual speech you'd say 顶尖 (dǐngjiān) or 高手 (gāoshǒu).

Stroke Order

qiào
chǔ