Despite the fact that Meredith Grey is the main character of the iconic show, "Grey's Anatomy," her best friend, Christina Yang, continuously outshines Meredith. Christina is dedicated, intelligent, honest, and she knows her worth. She is very strong and self-assured, but she also acts a rock for Meredith Grey to lean on throughout the 12 seasons (and counting). Here are some reasons as to why Christina Yang is one of the strongest characters on television:

She's extremely realistic.

She knows that the world is a hard place and she also knows that nothing in life is going to be handed to her. Instead of wallowing in self-pity about those realities, she uses them as motivation and draws strength from them. Christina is well aware of how the world works, but she's also aware of how to be successful despite the unfairness.

She has her priorities in check.

Despite the fact that society ingrains the idea that women are valued for beauty over other virtues into our minds throughout our entire lives, Christina Yang knew that intelligence is more important than beauty. While your beauty will fade, your education can never be taken away from you.

She is honest.

While some people might consider those who are extremely honest abrasive or unsettling, I find honest people to be the most real and authentic. I'd rather be told the hard truth than be deceived by someone.

She gives great advice.

Christina's deep understanding of life contributes to her ability to give her friends amazing advice. While other characters stress themselves out over their relationships and other social obligations, she constantly reminds them to put themselves first. She isn't afraid to love, but she also doesn't let it consume her. She is open to passion, yet she is still extremely logical and she does not let her love cloud her judgement. Not many people have the confidence to put themselves before anything else, so she must constantly encourage the other characters to do so.

She is extremely passionate.

Christina realizes that in order to be successful emotionally and financially, you must be passionate about your work. She loves her job, so she is not only a great surgeon, but she's also very happy and content. She realizes that the point of life is to find and pursue your passion, and she has enough self-awareness which allows her to acknowledge what she cares about.

She is a wonderful friend.

She always has Meredith's back, despite the amount of emotional baggage that she comes with. Meredith isn't always the easiest person to deal with, and she definitely needs a lot of support and advice to deal with the issues in her life. Despite all of this, Christina is extremely loyal to Meredith throughout the entire show. Christina allows Meredith to lean on her, and she lends some of her unwavering strength to Meredith.

Christina Yang is an extremely admirable character, and her opinions on life are powerful and realistic. She knows you have to earn your success, and she knows that the world can be quite cold and harsh, but she also allows that knowledge to motivate her to be successful and strong. The most admirable aspect of Christina is that she practices what she preaches throughout the entire show, which proves the extreme amount of integrity in her character; she knows her beliefs, needs, wants, and emotions, and she is not afraid to put herself first. She knows her worth is not subordinate to anyone else's, so she looks after herself, yet she also inspires and influences other characters as well.