Chinese word

争先恐后

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhēng xiān kǒng hòu

Meaning

  • idiomscramble to be first

Example

上课前学生们争先恐后地发言。shàng kè qián xué shēng men zhēng xiān kǒng hòu dì fā yán

Before class, the students scramble to be the first to speak.

Illustration for 争先恐后 (scramble to be first)

More examples

新政策一出台，许多人争先恐后地报名参加。xīn zhèng cè yì chū tái xǔ duō rén zhēng xiān kǒng hòu dì bào míng cān jiā

As soon as the new policy was announced, many people scrambled to sign up.

Core concept

Many people rush to the front together, pulled by the wish to lead and the fear of being left behind.

Common phrases

  • 争先恐后地发言zhēng xiān kǒng hòu dì fā yán

    scramble to speak first

  • 争先恐后地抢购zhēng xiān kǒng hòu dì qiǎng gòu

    scramble to buy

  • 争先恐后地报名zhēng xiān kǒng hòu dì bào míng

    scramble to sign up

Similar words

你追我赶nǐ zhuī wó gǎn: Vie with one another to advance farther and faster.
你争我抢nǐ zhēng wǒ qiǎng: Jostle to secure a wanted thing or opportunity before someone else.

Definition in Chinese

为抢在别人前面而争，害怕落到后面。wèi qiǎng zài bié rén qián miàn ér zhēng hài pà luò dào hòu miàn

Word origin

The idiom combines 争 (zhēng, "strive") + 先 (xiān, "first") with 恐 (kǒng, "fear") + 后 (hòu, "behind") to show both the urge to get ahead and the worry of falling back.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, the expression can sound neutral when highlighting lively participation, but the surrounding context can make the same competition seem excessive.

Opposites

  • 甘居人后gān jū rén hòube content to lag behind othersidiom

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