冠军

• Pinyin: guàn jūn
• Hanzi breakdown: 冠 = crown/cap; 军 = army/military

Meaning

Champion; first place winner. The victor of a competition.

Used in sports, games, contests, and metaphorically for being the best. Can modify nouns as in 冠军队 (champion team) or be used independently.

Examples

1. 中国队在这次比赛中获得了冠军。 The Chinese team won the championship in this competition.
2. 他是去年的世界冠军。 He was last year's world champion.
3. 夺得冠军是每个运动员的梦想。 Winning the championship is every athlete's dream.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, competition, games, achievement

Tone: celebratory

Do Say

• 祝贺你获得冠军！(Congratulations on winning the championship!)
• 谁是这次比赛的冠军？(Who is the champion of this competition?)

Don't Say

• 他是我们班的学习冠军 (冠军 typically implies formal competition — for informal contexts, say 第一名 or 最好的)

Origin & History

From ancient Chinese ranking system: 冠 (crown/cap) + 军 (army), originally the general wearing the crown, later meaning the top position.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal