三軍未發，糧草先行

Chinese

		the three armies	not yet; 8th earthly branch; 1–3 p.m.	to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop		rations; provisions	to advance; to move forward; to go ahead of the rest to advance; to move forward; to go ahead of the rest; to start off before the others
trad. (三軍未發，糧草先行)		三軍	未	發	，	糧草	先行
simp. (三军未发，粮草先行)		三军	未	发	，	粮草	先行
Literally: “the rations move first before three armies are dispatched”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sānjūnwèifā, liángcǎoxiānxíng

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄨㄟˋ ㄈㄚ , ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄘㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): saam¹ gwan¹ mei⁶ faat³, loeng⁴ cou² sin¹ hang⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sānjūnwèifā, liángcǎoxiānxíng
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄨㄟˋ ㄈㄚ , ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄘㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sanjyunwèifa, liángcǎosiansíng
    • Wade–Giles: san¹-chün¹-wei⁴-fa¹, liang²-tsʻao³-hsien¹-hsing²
    • Yale: sān-jyūn-wèi-fā-, lyáng-tsǎu-syān-syíng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanjiunweyfa, liangtsaoshianshyng
    • Palladius: саньцзюньвэйфа, лянцаосяньсин (sanʹczjunʹvɛjfa, ljancaosjanʹsin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹ fä⁵⁵ li̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: saam¹ gwan¹ mei⁶ faat³, loeng⁴ cou² sin¹ hang⁴
    • Yale: sāam gwān meih faat, lèuhng chóu sīn hàhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: saam¹ gwan¹ mei⁶ faat⁸, loeng⁴ tsou² sin¹ hang⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: sam¹ guen¹ méi⁶ fad³, lêng⁴ cou² xin¹ heng⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːm⁵⁵ kʷɐn⁵⁵ mei̯²² faːt̚³ lœːŋ²¹ t͡sʰou̯³⁵ siːn⁵⁵ hɐŋ²¹/

Proverb

三軍未發，糧草先行

1. (figuratively) one has to make preparations being doing something

Synonyms

• 三軍未動，糧草先行／三军未动，粮草先行 (sānjūnwèidòng, liángcǎoxiānxíng)
• 兵馬未動，糧草先行／兵马未动，粮草先行