大浪淘沙

dàlàngtáoshā

only the real gold remains after tides have washed the sands away; a tough competition aiming to weed out the less competent

Wiktionary

Entry Composition

1 大浪 dàlàng
  1. billow
  2. surge
2 淘 táo
  1. to wash (rice, sand etc in water to remove impurities)
  2. to dredge; to scoop out (sediment or waste)
  3. (dialect) to hunt for and buy (bargains or second-hand goods)
  4. (dialect) naughty; mischievous
=3 沙 Shā surname Sha
=3 沙 shā
  1. granule
  2. hoarse
  3. raspy
  4. sand
  5. powder
  6. abbr. for Tsar or Tsarist Russia

classifier: 粒
=3 沙 shà (dialect) to sift; to sieve