趁热打铁

趁熱打鐵

chènrèdǎtiě

idiom #29,285

Meanings

1 to strike while the iron is hot
2 to seize the moment; to act quickly while conditions are favorable

Characters

to take advantage of; to seize (an opportunity)

to hit; to strike

Examples

客户有意向了，我们要趁热打铁，尽快签合同。

Kèhù yǒu yìxiàng le, wǒmen yào chènrèdǎtiě, jǐnkuài qiān hétong.

The client is interested — we need to strike while the iron is hot and sign the contract quickly.

学到新知识要趁热打铁，马上练习。

Xué dào xīn zhīshi yào chènrèdǎtiě, mǎshàng liànxí.

When you learn something new, strike while the iron is hot — practice right away.

Tips

memory

趁 (to take advantage of) + 热 (hot) + 打 (to strike/beat) + 铁 (iron). A blacksmith must hammer iron while it's still red-hot — once it cools, it becomes rigid and unworkable. This directly matches the English idiom 'strike while the iron is hot.'

Stroke Order

趁 chèn

热 rè

打 dǎ

铁 tiě