脱颖而出 (tuō yǐng ér chū)

Character breakdown

• 脱 (tuō) · 11 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 兑 represents the sound. Simplified form of 脫.

• 颖 (yǐng) · 13 strokes

• 而 (ér) · 6 strokes

  Originally a pictograph of a beard, now written as 耏. The current use as a conjunction is a phonetic loan.

• 出 (chū) · 5 strokes

  Pictograph of a foot (止) exiting a cave (凵).

Usage

他在比赛中脱颖而出，获得了冠军。

to reveal one's talent (idiom); to rise above others; to distinguish oneself

tā zài bǐ sài zhōng tuō yǐng ér chū ， huò dé le guàn jūn 。