王牌

• Pinyin: wáng pái
• Hanzi breakdown: 王 = pictograph of an axe — royal power; 牌 = 片 (slice) + 卑 (low, phonetic) — a flat tablet or card

Meaning

Trump card; ace; one's strongest asset. The most powerful card or weapon at one's disposal.

Borrowed from card games (literally 'king card' or 'ace'). Used figuratively for a person's strongest skill, a team's star player, or a company's most powerful product. Often implies something held in reserve to be played at the decisive moment. Very common in sports, business, and military contexts.

Examples

1. 这位年轻球员是球队本赛季的王牌，上场率极高。 This young player is the team's ace this season and gets the highest playing time.
2. 谈判陷入僵局时，他打出了最后一张王牌，扭转了局面。 When the negotiations reached a deadlock, he played his final trump card and turned the situation around.
3. 公司将这款新产品定位为进军高端市场的王牌。 The company positioned this new product as its trump card for breaking into the premium market.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, business, negotiation

Tone: confident

Do Say

• 他是球队的王牌前锋，进球能力无人能及。(He is the team's ace striker — no one can match his scoring ability.)
• 这项专利是公司在谈判桌上的王牌。(This patent is the company's trump card at the negotiating table.)

Don't Say

• 将王牌误用为'弱点'或'普通优势' — 王牌 implies the strongest, most decisive asset, not just any advantage; use 优势 or 长处 for ordinary strengths

Origin & History

王 (king) + 牌 (card, sign). Originally 'the king card' — the highest card in a deck. By extension, any decisive trump card or strongest asset.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal