The meaning of "taking the lead" originally refers to riding a horse to charge ahead in battle, describing being in the lead. It also means working in front of the masses and actively taking the lead.

Origin of the idiom:

1. Chapter 71 of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" by Luo Guanzhong of the Ming Dynasty: Huang Zhong took the lead and galloped down the mountain, as if the sky was collapsing and the earth was collapsing.

2. Chapter 83 of "The Strange Current Situation Witnessed in Twenty Years": Ye Junmen took the lead, led the entire army, lined up the team, and left Pyongyang in a mighty manner.

3. Yao Xueyin's "Li Zicheng": When Li Zicheng saw that the enemy had added reinforcements and his morale was restored, he quickly reorganized his troops and let him take the lead and continue to charge fiercely.

4. Chapter 96 of "Water Margin" by Shi Naian of the Ming Dynasty: Even if the troops are drawn up in formation, one horse leads the way and gallops down the mountain, it is like the sky is collapsing and the earth is collapsing.

Take the lead in a sentence:

1. Ride a BMW and gallop across the land of the motherland, gallop across the Great Wall on horseback, take the lead in your career to create glory, and achieve prosperity and success. Wave the whip to urge the horses to keep up with the times, earn foreign exchange and gallop forward with thousands of horses. I wish you good luck in the Year of the Horse.

2. On the first day of school, the head teacher asked us to move new books. I took the lead and walked into the classroom excitedly with a thick bundle of new books. When I put the book on the podium, I realized that my hands had turned red.

3. In this wave of train travel craze in continental Europe, Spain is leading the way. Last month, a new high-speed train was launched between Madrid and Barcelona. The whole journey only takes 35 minutes, which is a full two hours shorter than the original one.

Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia - Leading the way