三元及第 sānyuánjídì top honors in three exams Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 三元 sānyuán top honors in the three examinations The top candidates in the provincial, metropolitan, and palace levels of the civil service examinations, specifically the 解元 jièyuán, 会元 huìyuán, and 状元 zhuàngyuán; achieving first place in all three is called "continuous top honors"及第 jídì to pass the imperial examination to pass the highest level of the civil service examinations in imperial China