先礼后兵
xiān lǐ hòu bīng
Pinyin

Definition

先礼后兵
 - 
xiān lǐ hòu bīng
  1. peaceful measures before using force (idiom); diplomacy before violence
  2. jaw-jaw is better than war-war

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

先
xiān
  1. 1 early
  2. 2 prior
  3. 3 former
  4. 4 in advance
  5. 5 first
先生
Xiān sheng
  1. 1 Mister (Mr.)
兵器
bīng qì
  1. 1 weaponry
  2. 2 weapons
  3. 3 arms
事先
shì xiān
  1. 1 in advance
  2. 2 before the event
  3. 3 beforehand
  4. 4 prior
优先
yōu xiān
  1. 1 to have priority
  2. 2 to take precedence
先前
xiān qián
  1. 1 before
  2. 2 previously
先后
xiān hòu
  1. 1 early or late
  2. 2 priority
  3. 3 in succession
  4. 4 one after another
先机
xiān jī
  1. 1 key moment
  2. 2 decisive opportunity
先知
xiān zhī
  1. 1 prophet
先进
xiān jìn
  1. 1 advanced (technology)
  2. 2 to advance
先锋
xiān fēng
  1. 1 vanguard
  2. 2 pioneer
  3. 3 avant-garde
兵
bīng
  1. 1 soldiers
  2. 2 a force
  3. 3 an army
  4. 4 weapons
  5. 5 arms
  6. 6 military
  7. 7 warlike
  8. 8 CL:個|个[gè]
兵刃
bīng rèn
  1. 1 (bladed) weapons
兵力
bīng lì
  1. 1 military strength
  2. 2 armed forces
  3. 3 troops
原先
yuán xiān
  1. 1 originally
  2. 2 original
  3. 3 former
士兵
shì bīng
  1. 1 soldier
  2. 2 CL:個|个[gè]
奇兵
qí bīng
  1. 1 troops appearing suddenly (in a raid or ambush)
招兵买马
zhāo bīng mǎi mǎ
  1. 1 to recruit soldiers and buy horses (idiom); to raise a large army
  2. 2 fig. to expand business
  3. 3 to recruit new staff
抢先
qiǎng xiān
  1. 1 to rush (to do sth urgent)
  2. 2 to try to be the first
  3. 3 to forestall
特种兵
tè zhǒng bīng
  1. 1 commando
  2. 2 special forces soldier

Idioms (20)

先下手为强
xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng
  1. 1 strike first and gain the upper hand (idiom, martial arts term); Making the first move is an advantage.
先斩后奏
xiān zhǎn hòu zòu
  1. 1 first decapitate then present your trophy (idiom); act first, report later
先发制人
xiān fā zhì rén
  1. 1 to gain the initiative by striking first (idiom); to preempt
  2. 2 to anticipate
  3. 3 preemptive
先睹为快
xiān dǔ wéi kuài
  1. 1 joy of first experience (idiom)
  2. 2 the pleasure of reading sth for the first time
先礼后兵
xiān lǐ hòu bīng
  1. 1 peaceful measures before using force (idiom); diplomacy before violence
  2. 2 jaw-jaw is better than war-war
全民皆兵
quán mín jiē bīng
  1. 1 to bring the entire nation to arms (idiom)
兵不血刃
bīng bù xuè rèn
  1. 1 lit. no blood on the men's swords (idiom); fig. an effortless victory
兵来将挡，水来土掩
bīng lái jiàng dǎng , shuǐ lái tǔ yǎn
  1. 1 counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir (idiom); different situations call for different action
  2. 2 to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
兵来将敌，水来土堰
bīng lái jiàng dí , shuǐ lái tǔ yàn
  1. 1 counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir (idiom); different situations call for different action
  2. 2 to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
兵家常事
bīng jiā cháng shì
  1. 1 commonplace in military operations (idiom)
兵强马壮
bīng qiáng mǎ zhuàng
  1. 1 lit. strong soldiers and sturdy horses (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. a well-trained and powerful army
兵戈扰攘
bīng gē rǎo rǎng
  1. 1 arms and confusion (idiom); turmoil of war
兵戎相见
bīng róng xiāng jiàn
  1. 1 to meet on the battlefield (idiom)
兵败如山倒
bīng bài rú shān dǎo
  1. 1 troops in defeat like a landslide (idiom); a beaten army in total collapse
兵精粮足
bīng jīng liáng zú
  1. 1 elite soldiers, ample provisions (idiom); well-prepared forces
  2. 2 preparations for war are in an advanced state
兵临城下
bīng lín chéng xià
  1. 1 soldiers at the city walls (idiom); fig. at a critical juncture
兵荒马乱
bīng huāng mǎ luàn
  1. 1 soldiers munity and troops rebel (idiom); turmoil and chaos of war
兵贵神速
bīng guì shén sù
  1. 1 lit. speed is a crucial asset in war (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. swift and resolute (in doing sth)
兵马未动，粮草先行
bīng mǎ wèi dòng , liáng cǎo xiān xíng
  1. 1 before the troops move, fodder and provisions go first (idiom); logistics comes before military maneuvers
  2. 2 an army marches on its stomach
哀兵必胜
āi bīng bì shèng
  1. 1 an army burning with righteous indignation is bound to win (idiom)

Sample Sentences