先斩后奏 in English xian1 zhan3 hou4 zou4 Meaning

Meanings

  • first decapitate then present your trophy (idiomatic expression); act first, report later

Simplified Characters

先 斩 后 奏

Traditional Characters

先 斬 後 奏

Pinyin

xian1 zhan3 hou4 zou4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

先xian1early 斩zhan3to behead (as form of capital punishment) 后hou4surname Hou 奏zou4to play music