先下手为强

先下手為強

xiānxiàshǒuwéiqiáng

idiom #20,785

Meanings

1 strike first to gain the upper hand
2 the early bird catches the worm
3 he who acts first has the advantage

Characters

to make / to strike down

to be / becomes

strong / the stronger one

Examples

商场如战场，先下手为强，我们要抢先推出新产品。

Shāngchǎng rú zhànchǎng, xiānxiàshǒu wéi qiáng, wǒmen yào qiǎngxiān tuīchū xīn chǎnpǐn.

Business is like a battlefield — strike first to gain the advantage; we need to launch the new product before the competition.

先下手为强，我们马上签合同吧。

Xiānxiàshǒu wéi qiáng, wǒmen mǎshàng qiān hétong ba.

Strike while the iron is hot — let's sign the contract right now.

Tips

usage

先下手为强 is paired with the phrase 后下手遭殃 (hòu xià shǒu zāo yāng, 'those who act second suffer disaster') for emphasis. Together they form a proverbial couplet urging swift, preemptive action.

Stroke Order

先 xiān

下 xià

手 shǒu

为 wèi

强 qiáng