泰斗 tàidǒu short for 泰山北斗
How to remember 泰斗: 泰 great + 斗 fight = short for 泰山北斗.
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How it is used
- Means a towering authority / grand master in a field - 医学界的泰斗 (yīxué jiè de tàidǒu) a giant of the medical world.
- Short for 泰山北斗 (Mt. Tai and the North Star), so it evokes someone everyone looks up to as the definitive expert.
- High-praise, formal register, reserved for the most respected senior figures - don't use it lightly.