xiān​zhǎn​hòu​zòu

to act first and report later

  • created reference approved 先斩后奏/先斬後奏 → 先行后闻/先行後聞 (synonym) — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    先斩后奏 / 先斬後奏 xiān​zhǎn​hòu​zòu

    先行后闻 / 先行後聞 xiān​xíng​hòu​wén

    synonym

    Changed: source (simp), source (trad), source pinyin, target (simp), target (trad), target pinyin, type

    created reference

  • created reference approved 先斩后奏/先斬後奏 → 先斩后闻/先斬後聞 (synonym) — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    先斩后奏 / 先斬後奏 xiān​zhǎn​hòu​zòu

    先斩后闻 / 先斬後聞 xiān​zhǎn​hòu​wén

    synonym

    Changed: source (simp), source (trad), source pinyin, target (simp), target (trad), target pinyin, type

    created reference

  • created sense approved 先斩后奏/先斬後奏 · xiān​zhǎn​hòu​zòu · to act first and report later — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    先斩后奏 / 先斬後奏

    xiān​zhǎn​hòu​zòu

    to act first and report later

    Literally meaning to execute a criminal before reporting to the emperor, this idiom describes taking decisive action or handling a matter before getting approval from a superior.

    先 (literal) → 先 · xiān · first 斩 (literal) → 斩/斬 · zhǎn · to behead 后 (literal) → 后/後 · hòu · after 奏 (literal) → 奏 · zòu · to memorialize

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

    created sense