先下手为强
xiān​xià​shǒu​wéi​qiáng

the one who strikes first has the advantage

  • created sense approved 先下手为强/先下手為強 · xiān​xià​shǒu​wéi​qiáng · the one who strikes first has the advantage — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    先下手为强 / 先下手為強

    xiān​xià​shǒu​wéi​qiáng

    the one who strikes first has the advantage

    (idiom) to take the initiative is to gain the upper hand; to strike first to seize the advantage

    先 (literal) → 先 · xiān · first 下手 (literal) → 下手 · xià​shǒu · to start 为 (literal) → 为/為 · wéi · to be 强 (literal) → 强/強 · qiáng · superior

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense