鳌 (áo): a giant mythical sea turtle

Meanings

1 a giant mythical sea turtle

Characters

鳌

áo

giant sea turtle

Examples

HSK 7-9

传说巨鳌背着仙山。

Chuánshuō jù áo bèi zhe xiānshān.

Legend says a giant sea turtle carries the immortals' mountain on its back.

HSK 7-9

科举夺魁叫独占鳌头。

Kējǔ duókuí jiào dúzhàn'áotóu.

Coming first in the imperial exam was called 'standing on the turtle's head'.

Tips

culture

Best known in 独占鳌头 - 'to stand alone on the sea-turtle's head' - meaning to take first place. It comes from the carved turtle's head on the palace steps where the top exam graduate stood.

Components

radical

鱼 yú

fish; sea creature

Bottom fish radical 鱼. It marks aquatic creatures; here it tags the mythical turtle as a giant sea animal.

phonetic

敖 áo

to ramble; (here) sound

Top part 敖 supplies the sound áo; it is the phonetic in a whole family including 熬 and 傲.

Stroke Order

鳌 áo

Related Words

独占鳌头 dúzhàn-áotóu #56,088

to come out on top / to be number one; to be the champion

博鳌亚洲论坛 Bó'áo Yàzhōu Lùntán

Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), an annual high-level conference held in Boao, Hainan since 2001

海上 hǎishàng #5,650

at sea / on the sea / maritime

海龟 hǎiguī #8,947

sea turtle / overseas returnee; someone who studied abroad and returned to China

出海 chūhǎi #8,973

to go out to sea; to put out to sea / to go overseas (for business expansion)

巨人 jùrén HSK 7-9 #4,838

giant / great figure; titan (figurative)

海洋 hǎiyáng HSK 6 #4,338

ocean; sea / the oceans (collectively)

大海 dàhǎi HSK 2 #4,095

sea / ocean

海盗 hǎidào HSK 7-9 #2,521

pirate / sea pirate

凤凰 fènghuáng HSK 7-9 #5,708

phoenix (Chinese mythical bird) / fenghuang