笨鸟先飞 bèn niǎo xiān fēi

work early and hard to make up for weakness

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. the clumsy bird flies early (idiom); fig. to work hard to compensate for one's limited abilities

Characters

Character Meaning
笨 bèn HSK 4
stupid; clumsy; slow-witted
鸟 niǎo HSK 3
bird; (intensifier) damned; goddam
先 xiān HSK 1
first; in advance; early
飞 fēi HSK 1
to fly