登竜門

とうりゅうもん【登竜門】

the gateway to success.

¶芥川賞は日本の文壇への～だ

The Akutagawa Prize is the gateway to the literary world in Japan.

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とうりゅうもん【登竜門】

a gateway to success 《in the art world》; the first step on the ladder 《of success》; a prerequisite 《for promotion》; the first major hurdle on the road to success.

●新人の登竜門 a route [stepping-stone] to success for a newcomer.

●芥川賞･直木賞は文壇への登竜門だ. The Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes are passports to success in the literary world.

・そのコンクールは多くの演奏家の登竜門となってきた. A success in the contest has opened up careers to a number of instrumentalists.