yōu shèng liè tàidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(idiom) survival of the fittest
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-b73b18d12d7250c2. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

優勝劣汰 优胜劣汰 [you1 sheng4 lie4 tai4] /(idiom) survival of the fittest/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 優勝劣汰

  • 优
    yōu

    excellent / superior

  • 胜
    shèng

    victory / success / to beat / to defeat / to surpass / victorious / superior to / to get the better of / better than / surpassing / superb (of vista) / beautiful (scenery) / wonderful (view) / (Taiwan pr. [shēng]) able to bear / equal to (a task)

  • 劣
    liè

    inferior

  • 汰
    tài

    to discard / to eliminate

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.