占上风 (zhàn shàng fēng) — to have the upper hand; to be in a dominant position; to gain the advantage (in a competition or struggle)
Definition
A chengyu-style verb meaning 'to have/gain the upper hand' — a contest between two sides where one is clearly ahead. Often paired with 渐渐 (gradually) or 一直 (consistently) to describe the shift or hold of dominance.
verb
to have the upper handto be in a dominant positionto gain the advantage (in a competition or struggle)
Examples
- ，占上风。Biàn lùn zhōng, duì fāng yì zhí zhàn shàng fēng.In the debate, the other side had the upper hand the whole time.
- ，。Zhè cì xuǎn jǔ, bǎo shǒu pài jiàn jiàn zhàn le shàng fēng.In this election, the conservatives gradually gained the upper hand.
- ，占上风，。Tán pàn yì kāi shǐ, wǒ fāng jiù zhàn shàng fēng, bī duì fāng ràng bù.Right from the start of the negotiations, our side had the advantage and forced the other side to concede.
Origin
Compound word构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object
An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.
占 means take, and 上风 is the upper wind or advantage; together they mean to gain the advantage.
Appears in
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