直木先伐
zhí​mù​xiān​fá

straight trees are felled first

  • created sense approved 直木先伐 · zhí​mù​xiān​fá · straight trees are felled first — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    直木先伐

    zhí​mù​xiān​fá

    straight trees are felled first

    a straight tree is cut down first for its utility; figuratively, the most capable people are the first to be worn out or targeted

    直 (literal) → 直 · zhí · straight 木 (literal) → 木 · mù · tree 先 (literal) → 先 · xiān · first 伐 (literal) → 伐 · fá · to fell

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

    created sense