捷足先登

jiézú-xiāndēng
idiom #22,305

Meanings

  1. 1 the swift-footed climb first
  2. 2 the early bird catches the worm
  3. 3 first come, first served

Examples

HSK 5
Tā jiézú-xiāndēng, qiǎng dào le zuìhòu yī zhāng piào.
He was quick off the mark and grabbed the last ticket.
HSK 6
Zài shāngchǎng jìngzhēng zhōng, jiézú-xiāndēng zhě wǎngwǎng zhàn jìn yōushì.
In business competition, those who act first often gain the most advantage.

Tips

memory
Picture a race up a mountain: 捷 (quick) + 足 (feet) + 先 (first) + 登 (climb). The one with the quickest feet reaches the top first.

Stroke Order

捷 jié
足 zú
先 xiān
登 dēng