金牌

• Pinyin: jīn pái
• Hanzi breakdown: 金 = pictograph of metal nuggets; 牌 = 片 (slice) + 卑 (low, phonetic), originally a wooden or metal plate

Meaning

Gold medal. The highest award given to the winner of a competition, especially in sports.

Primarily used in sports contexts for the first-place medal. Can also be used figuratively to describe something of the highest quality, as in 金牌服务 (gold-standard service) or 金牌教练 (top-notch coach).

Examples

1. 她在奥运会上拿到了一枚金牌。 She won a gold medal at the Olympics.
2. 中国队这次一共获得了三十八枚金牌。 The Chinese team won a total of 38 gold medals this time.
3. 他是一位金牌教练，带过很多冠军。 He is a gold-medal coach who has trained many champions.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, competition, achievement

Tone: celebratory

Do Say

• 他的梦想是赢得一枚金牌。(His dream is to win a gold medal.)
• 这位运动员已经拿了五枚金牌。(This athlete has already won five gold medals.)

Don't Say

• 考试考了一百分，老师给了我一个金牌。(Don't use 金牌 for school achievements — use 奖状 for certificates or 满分 for perfect scores. 金牌 is typically for sports or official competitions.)

Origin & History

Compound of 金 (gold) and 牌 (medal, plate, card). Literally 'gold plate/medal.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal