To solve the problem, catch the ringleader first — start with the core.
Tips
history
The line originates in Du Fu 杜甫's Tang 《前出塞九首·其六》: ‘射人先射马，擒贼先擒王。’ (To shoot the rider, first shoot his horse; to catch the bandit, first catch his chief.) It later became the 18th of the Thirty-Six Stratagems 《三十六计》. Xinhua 成语词典: ‘指作战要先抓主要敌手。也比喻做事首先要抓关键。’
usage
Usually quoted together with 射人先射马 when citing Du Fu. As a standalone chengyu it's a common modern management cliché for ‘attack the root cause first.’
