Meaning:
“爬” literally means “to climb,” and “藤” means “ivy.” This term, often used by Chinese students and their parents, refers to high school students applying for the eight Ivy League schools in the United States. These are Princeton University, Harvard University, Columbia University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, Brown University and Cornell University.
Example:
A: 你儿子上高中了吧？
Nǐ érzi shàng gāozhōng le ba？
Is your son in high school already?
B: 已经读大学了，在宾大读建筑。
Yǐjīng dú dàxué le，zài bīndà dú jiànzhù。
He’s in college already. He’s studying architecture at UPenn.
A: 恭喜你家孩子爬藤成功！
Gōngxǐ nǐjiā háizi páténg chénggōng！
Congratulations to your son for going to an Ivy League school!