"Striking first to gain the upper hand" means taking action before the other party does in order to gain an advantage or control. Its core lies in "first" and "subdue," emphasizing taking the initiative and seizing the upper hand so as to suppress the opponent. It comes from the Book of Han: Biography of Xiang Ji: "Strike first to gain the upper hand; otherwise, you will be at the mercy of others." It was originally a military strategy and later came to be widely used in competition, negotiation, debate, sports, and other scenarios. When used, it usually carries a positive and decisive emotional tone, reflecting wisdom and courage, but it can sometimes also imply aggressiveness, so whether it is commendatory or derogatory must be judged according to context. Culturally, it reflects the Chinese military thought of "achieving victory before battle" and stands in contrast to "gaining the upper hand by striking later," emphasizing the importance of timing.
📝 Example
In business negotiations, he seized the initiative by proposing a plan that was hard for the other side to refuse.
At the start of the game, the home team took the initiative by scoring consecutively, disrupting the opponent's rhythm.