旗开得胜 (qí kāi dé shèng) — to win victory in the first battle; to achieve immediate success from the very beginning

Definition

An idiom for a flying start — winning or succeeding right from the outset. Used to wish or describe immediate success in a competition, exam, or new venture.

idiom
to win victory in the first battleto achieve immediate success from the very beginning

Examples

  • 旗开得胜。
    Xī wàng zhè zhī qiú duì néng zài shì jiè bēi shàng qí kāi dé shèng.
    I hope this team can win their first match at the World Cup.
  • 旗开得胜，。
    Tā de xīn gōng sī qí kāi dé shèng, dì yī gè yuè jiù qiān le dà dìng dān.
    His new company achieved immediate success, signing a big order in the first month.
  • 旗开得胜，。
    Gāo kǎo dì yī tiān qí kāi dé shèng, tā xìn xīn dà zēng.
    He did very well on the first day of the college entrance exam, boosting his confidence greatly.

Origin

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
㫃㫃㫃flag
Sound part声符shēngfú
其
其qí旗qí
Same sound today

旗 pairs 㫃, a flag, with 其, which gives the pronunciation qí.

Open 旗 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 開; 开 is its simplified writing.

  • 門門méndoor
  • 一一yīlatch and/or wooden pole that shuts a door
  • 廾廾gǒnga pair of hands

The traditional form 開 shows 廾, a pair of hands, and 一, a latch or pole, inside 門, a door: hands opening a latched door. The simplified 开 is a shorthand form, so its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 开 →

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

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng胜shèng
Same sound today

The simplified 胜 changes the traditional 勝 by replacing part of its sound side with 生; the left 肉 relates to meat.

Open 胜 →

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