先自隗始 — “First, start with Gui (Guo Wei)”
先自隗始 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to recommend oneself first, often as an example to attract more talented people to follow suit; to offer oneself as a preliminary example”. Literally, “First, start with Gui (Guo Wei)”.
先自隗始 Pronunciation and Pinyin
先自隗始 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 先自隗始
Origin and Story of 先自隗始
During the Warring States period, after King Zhaoxiang of Yan ascended the throne, he was eager to revitalize the state of Yan and wished to attract talented individuals from all over the world to serve him. He consulted with his advisor, Guo Wei.
Guo Wei said, "Now that Your Majesty wishes to attract talented individuals, please begin by employing me, Guo Wei. If even someone like me can be highly regarded, then those more capable than me will surely come to pledge their allegiance."
King Zhaoxiang adopted his suggestion.
Idioms Related to 先自隗始
Synonyms of 先自隗始
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
Recommended tools
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →Questions about 先自隗始
What does 先自隗始 mean?
先自隗始 (xiān zì wěi shǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to recommend oneself first, often as an example to attract more talented people to follow suit; to offer oneself as a preliminary example”.
How do you pronounce 先自隗始?
先自隗始 is pronounced xiān zì wěi shǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 先自隗始 literally mean?
Literally, 先自隗始 means “First, start with Gui (Guo Wei)”. It is used to mean “to recommend oneself first, often as an example to attract more talented people to follow suit; to offer oneself as a preliminary example”.
Where does 先自隗始 come from?
先自隗始 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 先自隗始?
隗：指战国燕人郭隗；始：开始。以先任用我郭隗为开端。表示自我推荐。