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抢先 (qiǎng xiān) — to try to be the first (to do something), to get ahead of others

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning 'to rush to be first, to beat others to it' — usually before a verb or verb phrase, not as a standalone predicate.

verb
to try to be the first (to do something)to get ahead of others

Examples

  • 抢先。
    Tā qiǎng xiān huí dá le lǎo shī de wèn tí.
    He was the first to answer the teacher's question.
  • 。
    Zhè cì jī huì bèi bié rén qiǎng le xiān.
    Someone else snatched this opportunity first.
  • 抢先。
    Tā qiǎng zài suǒ yǒu rén qián miàn qiǎng xiān fā biǎo le yì jiàn.
    He got ahead of everyone and was the first to express his opinion.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

抢qiǎngseize
先xiānthe lead

Combines 抢 and 先 to mean seizing the lead before others.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 搶; 抢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng搶qiǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 搶 pairs 扌 (hand) with 倉, which gives the sound; the simplified 抢 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 抢 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

先 combines 止 (foot) and 儿 (person) to show someone moving forward.

Open 先 →
Appears in
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