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趁热打铁 (chèn rè dǎ tiě) — strike while the iron is hot; to seize the opportune moment to act

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'strike while the iron is hot' — act on good conditions or momentum immediately, before the opportunity passes. Used like a verb phrase to urge quick action.

idiom
strike while the iron is hotto seize the opportune moment to act

Examples

  • ，趁热打铁。
    Xiàn zài shì chǎng hěn hǎo, wǒ men chèn rè dǎ tiě ba.
    The market is good now — let's strike while the iron is hot.
  • ，。
    Chèn rè dǎ tiě, tā gāng tīng wán jiǎng zuò jiù kāi shǐ xiě lùn wén.
    Striking while the iron is hot, he started writing his paper right after the lecture.
  • ，趁热打铁，。
    Duì fāng yǐ jīng tóng yì le, wǒ men chèn rè dǎ tiě, mǎ shàng qiān yuē.
    The other party has agreed — let's strike while the iron is hot and sign the contract immediately.

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
走走zǒuto run
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐱
㐱㐱趁chèn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

趁 is built from 走, 'to run', and 㐱, which gives the sound.

Open 趁 →

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 熱; 热 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
灬Written in full as火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì熱rè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 熱 pairs 埶 with 火 (written as 灬) to show heat, while 埶 gives a sound.

Open 热 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng打dǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.

Open 打 →

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 鐵; 铁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢧤
𢧤𢧤鐵tiě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鐵 pairs 金 (metal) with 𢧤 as a sound part; the simplified 铁 is a later shorthand.

Open 铁 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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