先下手为强，后下手遭殃 — “He who takes the initiative gains the advantage”
先下手为强，后下手遭殃 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “He who takes the initiative gains the advantage”. While those who delay will suffer misfortune. Literally, “First to act gains strength, later to act suffers misfortune”.
先下手为强，后下手遭殃 Pronunciation and Pinyin
先下手为强，后下手遭殃 Character Breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Strokes | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| xiān | 6 | First, before, or ancestors | |
| xià | 3 | below, down, next, to descend | |
| shǒu | 4 | hand, skill, person, handy | |
| wéi | 4 | to be or to do | |
| qiáng | 12 | strong, powerful, or intense | |
| ， | ， | — | |
| hòu | 6 | after, behind, empress | |
| xià | 3 | below, down, next, to descend | |
| shǒu | 4 | hand, skill, person, handy | |
| zāo | 14 | meet with misfortune | |
| yāng | 9 | suffer harm or misfortune |
Example Sentence with 先下手为强，后下手遭殃
Idioms Related to 先下手为强，后下手遭殃
Synonyms of 先下手为强，后下手遭殃
More idioms starting with 先
- 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
- xiān先hào号hòu后qìng庆weep first, then rejoice
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Open the tool →Questions about 先下手为强，后下手遭殃
What does 先下手为强，后下手遭殃 mean?
先下手为强，后下手遭殃 (xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng ， hòu xià shǒu zāo yāng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “He who takes the initiative gains the advantage”.
How do you pronounce 先下手为强，后下手遭殃?
先下手为强，后下手遭殃 is pronounced xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng ， hòu xià shǒu zāo yāng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 先下手为强，后下手遭殃 literally mean?
Literally, 先下手为强，后下手遭殃 means “First to act gains strength, later to act suffers misfortune”. It is used to mean “He who takes the initiative gains the advantage”.
What is the Chinese definition of 先下手为强，后下手遭殃?
指先于别人行动，可以取得优势，迟于别人就会遭遇祸殃