执牛耳 zhíniú'ěr to be the leader Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 执 執 zhí to hold to hold in the hand; to grasp; to take hold of牛耳 niú'ěr leader (bound form) leadership or a person in a dominant position; specifically used in the phrase 执牛耳 zhíniú'ěr to mean occupying a leading role