名落孫山

míngluòsūnshān

fall behind Sun Shan (who was last on the list of successful candidates)—fail in a competitive examination

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ming2 luo4 sun1 shan1

(idiom) to fail in imperial exam

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名落孫山|名落孙山 [míng luò sūn shān] ► (idiom) to fail in imperial exam