先声夺人

先聲奪人
xiānshēng-duórén
idiom #51,598

Meanings

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

Examples

Bǐsài yī kāishǐ, wǒfāng jiù xiānshēngduórén, lián jìn liǎng qiú.
At the start of the match, our side seized the initiative and scored two quick goals.
Tā kào yī piān xīlì de kāichǎngbái xiānshēngduórén.
He took the psychological lead with a sharp opening statement.
Guǎnggào xiānshēngduórén, 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·十二》: '先人' — '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

xiān
shēng
duó
rén