先发制人

Traditional: 先發制人

xiān fā zhì rén

Dictionary entry

(idiom) to gain the initiative by striking first; to preempt

What does 先发制人 mean?

先发制人 (xiān fā zhì rén) has the following dictionary meaning.

1(idiom) to gain the initiative by striking first; to preempt

Character breakdown

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先xiānbeforehand; first; earlier · at first; originally 发fāto send out · to show (one's feeling)制zhìsystem · to control 人rénperson; people · CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2]

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 先发制人

先发制人

xiān fā zhì rén

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.