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身先士卒

shēn xiān shì zúdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to fight at the head of one's troops / (fig.) to take the lead
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-f9832a67caf52cf8. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

身先士卒 身先士卒 [shen1 xian1 shi4 zu2] /to fight at the head of one's troops/(fig.) to take the lead/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 身
    shēn

    body / life / oneself / personally / one's morality and conduct / the main part of a structure or body / pregnant / classifier for sets of clothes: suit, twinset / Kangxi radical 158

  • 先
    xiān

    beforehand / first / earlier / at first / originally / for the time being / for now / (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)

  • 士
    shì

    member of the senior ministerial class (old) / scholar (old) / bachelor / honorific / soldier / noncommissioned officer / specialist worker

    Shì

    surname Shi

  • 卒
    zú

    soldier / servant / to finish / to die / finally / at last / pawn in Chinese chess

    cù

    See the full entry for source details.

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.