迎头痛击 (yíng tóu tòng jí) — to strike head-on (before the opponent can act); to deliver a frontal assault

Definition

A vivid chengyu meaning to strike the enemy head-on with no warning — a direct, forceful counterattack at the very start. Use for military, rhetorical, or policy contexts where the blow is immediate and frontal.

idiom
to strike head-on (before the opponent can act)to deliver a frontal assault

Examples

  • ，迎头痛击。
    Dí rén gāng jìn rù zhèn dì, jiù zāo dào le wǒ jūn de yíng tóu tòng jí.
    As soon as the enemy entered the position, they were met with a frontal assault from our army.
  • ，迎头痛击，。
    Miàn duì yáo yán, tā lì jí yíng tóu tòng jí, gōng kāi chéng qīng shì shí.
    Facing the rumors, he immediately struck head-on and publicly clarified the facts.
  • 迎头痛击。
    Zhè ge xīn zhèng cè gěi fǔ bài wèn tí yǐ yíng tóu tòng jí.
    This new policy dealt a head-on blow to the corruption problem.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
卬
卬áng迎yíng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

迎 is made of 辶 (written fully as 辵) for the meaning and 卬 for the sound.

Open 迎 →

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

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
疒疒nèillness
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng痛tòng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 疒 part means illness, and 甬 gives the sound; together they form 痛, meaning pain or hurt.

Open 痛 →

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 擊; 击 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
毄
毄jī擊jī
Same sound today

The traditional form 擊 has 手 (hand) and 毄; 毄 gives the sound and also points to striking, while the simplified 击 is a later shorthand.

Open 击 →

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