There was a person called Sun Shan in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). One year, he sat the imperial examination, and a countryman asked his son to go with Sun Shan. Eventually, Sun Shan really succeeded, but his name ranked at the bottom on the list. The son of his countryman failed, became very depressed and asked Sun Shan to return first.
After returning home, his neighbors all came to see him, and congratulate his success.
The countryman didn’t see the son had come back, and asked Sun Shan about his son’s examination.
The countryman said, “Congratulations! My son hasn’t come back until now. How about his examination?” Sun Shan, a very humorous person, didn’t give a direct answer, but replied humorously, “At the end of the ranking is Sun Shan, and your son even falls behind Sun Shan.”
That is to say, Sun Shan ranked last on the list for admission, while the countryman’s son even fell behind Sun Shan, meaning the son had failed.
This story comes from ARecordof Guoting. Now, people use this proverb to compare the failure in an examination or election.
