争先恐后

zhēng xiān kǒng hòu

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Rare

Definitions

1. striving to be first and fearing to be last (idiom); outdoing one another

Word relationships

Antonyms

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• 与世无争 yǔ shì wú zhēng 与世无争 yǔ shì wú zhēng to stand aloof from worldly affairs 不跟社会上的人发生争执，形容超脱: to stand aloof from worldly affairs

Related words

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• 力争上游 lì zhēng shàng yóu 力争上游 lì zhēng shàng yóu to strive for mastery (idiom); aiming for the best result 努力争取先进，用于积极竞争: to strive for mastery (idiom); aiming for the best result

Synonyms

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• 你争我夺 nǐ zhēng wǒ duó 你争我夺 nǐ zhēng wǒ duó lit. you fight, I snatch (idiom); to compete fiercely offering no quarter 形容竞争激烈，互不相让: lit. you fight, I snatch (idiom); to compete fiercely offering no quarter

Example Sentences

1 shown

大家 争先恐后 地回答问题。

Everyone scrambled to answer the question.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 争先恐后

• 先 先 xiān: early
• 后 后 hòu: empress
• 争 争 zhēng: to strive for
• 恐 恐 kǒng: afraid
• 争先 争先 zhēng xiān: to compete to be first