noun
great authority; eminent person; luminary
A yojijukugo from classical Chinese, used to describe someone who is a towering figure in their field, like Mount Tai and the Big Dipper. Often used in formal or literary contexts.
彼は日本文学の泰山北斗と称えられている。
He is praised as a great authority on Japanese literature.
大家 is a more common and neutral term for an expert or master, while 泰山北斗 is a highly formal and literary expression reserved for the most eminent figures.
From the classical Chinese text 'The New Book of Tang', where Mount Tai (泰山) and the Big Dipper (北斗) are used as metaphors for the highest authority and guidance. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase has been adopted into Japanese as a yojijukugo.