笨鸟先飞
Dumb birds must start flying early
A breakdown of the characters in 笨鸟先飞 ( bèn niǎo xiān fēi)
笨 (bèn): dumb or clumsy
鸟 (niǎo): bird
先 (xiān): first or earlier
飞 (fēi): to fly
How to express modesty when receiving a compliment?
Ditch the commonplace 哪里哪里, and try out this-笨鸟 先飞 ( bèn niǎo xiān fēi)!
笨鸟先飞 generally means that people with less ability have to try harder, and literally means that "dumb birds have to start flying early." It’s usually used to refer to yourself in a self- deprecating manner. It's a light-hearted chengyu.
“她知道自己要笨鸟先飞，什么都要努 力去争取...”
“tā zhīdào zìjǐ yào bènniǎoxiānfēi, shénme dōuyào nǔlì qù zhēngqǔ...”
“He knows he must make up for his lack of ability with effort, he has to strive to earn everything”
“...优秀的球员太多了，我必须得笨鸟 先飞”
“...yōuxiù de qiúyuán tài duō le, wǒ bìxū děi bènniǎoxiānfēi”
“...there are too many great players, I need to make up for my lack of ability by working the hardest”
“以你的经验来说，笨鸟先飞型的人是 不是有好处?”
“yǐ nǐ de jīngyàn lái shuō, bènniǎoxiānfēi xíng de rén shì bùshì yǒu hǎochù”
“From your experience, do you think underdogs who have to work extra hard are actually at an advantage”
“我要用笨鸟先飞的精神...”
“wǒ yào yòng bènniǎoxiānfēi de jīngshén...”
“I need to use the spirit of making up for lack of ability through effort...”