先禮後兵 xiān lǐ hòu bīng

use courtesy before force; talk before war

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

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
禮 lǐ
etiquette; courtesy; gift
後 hòu
behind; after; later
兵 bīng HSK 5
soldiers; military; weapons