先礼后兵 xiān lǐ hòu bīng

talk first, fight later; use peace before force

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 52736th word

Definitions

  1. 1. peaceful measures before using force (idiom); diplomacy before violence
  2. 2. jaw-jaw is better than war-war

Characters

Character Meaning
先 xiān HSK 1
first; in advance; early
礼 lǐ HSK 3
etiquette; courtesy; gift
后 hòu HSK 1
behind; after; later
兵 bīng HSK 5
soldiers; military; weapons