先声夺人

先聲奪人

xiānshēngduórén

idiom #51,598

Meanings

1 to overwhelm the opponent by striking first
2 to seize the initiative with a show of force
3 to win the psychological upper hand

Characters

person / opponent

Examples

比赛一开始，我方就先声夺人，连进两球。

Bǐsài yī kāishǐ, wǒ fāng jiù xiān shēng duó rén, lián jìn liǎng qiú.

At the start of the match, our side seized the initiative and scored two quick goals.

他靠一篇犀利的开场白先声夺人。

Tā kào yī piān xīlì de kāichǎngbái xiān shēng duó rén.

He took the psychological lead with a sharp opening statement.

广告先声夺人，产品还没上市就已经引起关注。

Guǎnggào xiān shēng duó rén, chǎnpǐn hái méi shàngshì jiù yǐjīng yǐnqǐ guānzhù.

The ad campaign struck first — the product drew attention before it was even on sale.

Tips

history

From 《左传·宣公十二年》: '先人有夺人之心' — 'to go first is to rob the opponent of their resolve.' Describes the classical principle of seizing initiative in war, later extended to debates, sports, marketing.

Stroke Order

先 xiān

声 shēng

夺 duó

人 rén