执牛耳

Traditional (Taiwan): 執牛耳

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zhíniú'ěr ㄓˊ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄦˇ

- to be the acknowledged leader (from the custom of a prince holding a plate on which lay the severed ears of a sacrificial bull at an alliance ceremony)

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Saying俗语俗語

Idiom惯用语 · Widely known

Literally: hold the ox's ear
Meaning: To be the leader in some field. In ancient times the leader of an alliance held the ox's ear to take its blood when the lords swore an oath.

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Sources