To solve the problem, catch the ringleader first, start with the core.
Tips
history
The line originates in Du Fu 杜甫’s Tang poem 《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》.
usage
Usually quoted together with 射人先射马 when citing Du Fu. As a standalone chengyu it is a common modern management cliche for "attack the root cause first."
