先斩后闻 — “To take action first without seeking prior approval”
先斩后闻 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to take action first without seeking prior approval”. And only report the outcome or decision afterwards, often creating a fait accompli. Literally, “Cut first, report afterwards”.
先斩后闻 Pronunciation and Pinyin
先斩后闻 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 先斩后闻
Idioms Related to 先斩后闻
Synonyms of 先斩后闻
More idioms starting with 先
- xiān先xià下shǒu手wéi为qiáng强strike first to gain the upper hand
- xiān先xià下shǒu手wéi为qiáng强，，hòu后xià下shǒu手zāo遭yāng殃First to act gains advantage
- xiān先wèi为zhī之róng容Introduce or publicize someone beforehand
- xiān先shì事lǜ虑shì事plan and think ahead
- xiān先rén人hòu后jǐ己put others before oneself
- xiān先rén人duó夺rén人Preemptively win over others
- xiān先rù入wéi为zhǔ主First impressions dominate judgment
- xiān先rù入zhī之jiàn见preconceived notion
- xiān先gōng公hòu后sī私prioritize public over private interest
- xiān先wù务zhī之jí急most urgent task
- xiān先jí即zhì制rén人gain the initiative and control the situation
- xiān先fā发zhì制rén人Strike first to gain control
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Open the tool →Questions about 先斩后闻
What does 先斩后闻 mean?
先斩后闻 (xiān zhǎn hòu wén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to take action first without seeking prior approval”.
How do you pronounce 先斩后闻?
先斩后闻 is pronounced xiān zhǎn hòu wén in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 先斩后闻 literally mean?
Literally, 先斩后闻 means “Cut first, report afterwards”. It is used to mean “to take action first without seeking prior approval”.
What is the Chinese definition of 先斩后闻?
原指臣子先把人处决了，然后再报告帝王。现比喻未经请示就先做了某事，造成既成事实，然后再向上级报告