Chinese idiom · 成语
名落孙山
Meaning
To fail an exam or ranking; to fall short of success.
Character by character
Origin and story
Traditional anecdoteFan Gongcheng’s Song-period Guoting Lu (過庭錄) tells of Sun Shan, a witty man from Wu, who travels to take an examination with a fellow townsman’s son. Sun Shan passes, but his name is last on the successful list. The other candidate does not pass.
When Sun Shan returns first and the father asks about his son, he answers indirectly: the successful names end with Sun Shan, and the son lies beyond Sun Shan. The joke turns the last successful candidate’s personal name into an image of falling outside the list. The idiom therefore means failing an examination or selection, not merely coming last among those who passed.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
这次奖学金选拔我名落孙山，但评审的建议让我知道了该改进什么。
I wasn’t selected for the scholarship, but the reviewers’ advice showed me what to improve.
Use for not making a selection or pass list, not simply receiving a low passing rank.