桂林一枝，昆山片玉 — “A branch from the cassia forest, a piece of jade from Kunshan”
桂林一枝，昆山片玉 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an exceptionally outstanding talent or individual, especially one who distinguishes themselves in examinations or selections; a cut above the rest”. Literally, “A branch from the cassia forest, a piece of jade from Kunshan”.
桂林一枝，昆山片玉 Pronunciation and Pinyin
桂林一枝，昆山片玉 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 桂林一枝，昆山片玉
Origin and Story of 桂林一枝，昆山片玉
During the Jin Dynasty, Emperor Wu extensively selected talents from various regions. Xi Shen was among those chosen and was later promoted to Governor of Yongzhou.
One day, Emperor Wu was touring the East Hall and met Xi Shen, asking him how he perceived his own abilities.
Xi Shen confidently replied, "I was selected as the top scholar for the talent policy, being the best in the land, just like a single branch from the cassia forest, and a piece of jade from Kunshan."
Idioms Related to 桂林一枝，昆山片玉
Synonyms of 桂林一枝，昆山片玉
More idioms starting with 桂
- guì桂zǐ子lán兰sūn孙illustrious and worthy descendants
- guì桂zi子piāo飘xiāng香fragrant osmanthus blossoms in autumn
- guì桂gōng宫bǎi柏qǐn寝magnificent palaces and grand mansions
- guì桂shé折yī一zhī枝achieve outstanding academic success
- guì桂shé折lán兰cuī摧untimely death of a noble person
- guì桂lín林xìng杏yuàn苑Achieve great success in imperial exams
- guì桂zhī枝piàn片yù玉achieve great academic success
- guì桂jí楫lán兰ráo桡exquisite oars and boat
- guì桂diàn殿lán兰gōng宫magnificent and splendid palaces
- guì桂yù玉zhī之dì地a place with extremely high prices
- guì桂xīn薪yù玉lì粒exorbitant cost of living
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Open the tool →Questions about 桂林一枝，昆山片玉
What does 桂林一枝，昆山片玉 mean?
桂林一枝，昆山片玉 (guì lín yī zhī ， kūn shān piàn yù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an exceptionally outstanding talent or individual, especially one who distinguishes themselves in examinations or selections; a cut above the rest”.
How do you pronounce 桂林一枝，昆山片玉?
桂林一枝，昆山片玉 is pronounced guì lín yī zhī ， kūn shān piàn yù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 桂林一枝，昆山片玉 literally mean?
Literally, 桂林一枝，昆山片玉 means “a branch from the cassia forest, a piece of jade from Kunshan”. It is used to mean “an exceptionally outstanding talent or individual, especially one who distinguishes themselves in examinations or selections; a cut above the rest”.
Where does 桂林一枝，昆山片玉 come from?
桂林一枝，昆山片玉 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 桂林一枝，昆山片玉?
昆山：昆冈，古代产玉的地方。桂花林中的一枝花，昆山中的一块玉。比喻科举考试中的出类拔萃的佼佼者