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早有蜻蜓立上头

早有蜻蜓立上頭
zǎoyǒuqīngtínglìshàngtóu
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 a dragonfly has already perched on top
  2. 2 (of a fresh bud/idea) it has already attracted the first sharp eye
  3. 3 (lit.) already there is a dragonfly standing on the top

Examples

小荷才露尖尖角，早有蜻蜓立上头——这句常用来形容新事物刚露头就被人捕捉。
Xiǎohé cái lù jiānjiān jiǎo, zǎo yǒu qīngtíng lì shàngtóu — zhè jù cháng yòng lái xíngróng xīn shìwù gāng lùtóu jiù bèi rén bǔzhuō.
'The young lotus just shows its pointed tip — already a dragonfly perches on top' — often used to describe something new being spotted the moment it emerges.
他的新作还没发表，早有蜻蜓立上头，已经有出版社来约稿。
Tā de xīn zuò hái méi fābiǎo, zǎo yǒu qīngtíng lì shàngtóu, yǐjīng yǒu chūbǎnshè lái yuēgǎo.
His new work hasn't been released yet, but 'the dragonfly has already landed' — publishers are already calling.

Tips

history
Second couplet of 杨万里《小池》(Yang Wanli, Southern Song): 泉眼无声惜细流，树阴照水爱晴柔。小荷才露尖尖角，早有蜻蜓立上头 (The spring flows silent, cherishing its thread of water; tree shade on the pond loves the gentle sun. The young lotus just shows its pointed tip, and already a dragonfly perches on top). A delicate snapshot of early summer — one of the best-known quatrains in the primary-school canon.
usage
Almost always paired with the preceding line 小荷才露尖尖角. The image has taken on a figurative life: anything brand-new that immediately attracts keen attention.

Stroke Order

早 zǎo
有 yǒu
蜻 qīng
蜓 tíng
立 lì
上 shàng
头 tóu