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先發制人

简先发制人 · 繁先發制人

Mandarin · pinyin xiān fā zhì rén

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

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Characters in this entry

先: xiān · first, former, previous
發: fā · issue, dispatch, send out, emit
制: zhì · system; establish; overpower
人: rén · man; people; mankind; someone else
发: fā · issue, dispatch, send out; hair

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–2 · xian1 fa1 zhi4 ren2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

先發制人 · find source passages ↗ · 先发制人 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sin1 faat3 zai3 jan4

Cantonese word readings for 先發制人. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to take the initiative to subdue the enemy; to take preemptive measures

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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