beat others to it; strive to be first; anticipate
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to beat others to it; to strive to be the first; to anticipate
Often used in competitive contexts where speed or timing is crucial. In spoken Chinese, especially in northern dialects, it can take the 'r' suffix (儿) as '抢先儿' (qiǎng xiān r).
Tā他
qiǎng抢
xiān先
fā发
yán言
，
tí提
chū出
le了
yī一
gè个
guān关
jiàn键
wèn问
tí题
。
He spoke first and raised a critical issue.
Wǒ我
men们
bì必
xū须
qiǎng抢
xiān先
yī一
bù步
，
cái才
néng能
zhàn占
lǐng领
shì市
chǎng场
。
We must get a step ahead of the competition in order to capture the market.
Show 2 more examplesShow fewer examples
Nián年
qīng轻
rén人
rè热
qíng情
gāo高
，
gàn干
shén什
me么
huó活
r儿
ér都
dōu爱
ài抢
qiǎng先
xiān儿
。
Young people are enthusiastic and always rush to be the first to do any kind of work.
Bié别
qiǎng抢
xiān先
，
pái排
duì队
yào要
shǒu守
zhì秩
xù序
。
Don't cut in line; you should follow the rules when queuing.