"beat to the punch" in Chinese (Simplified)

• 抢在前面
• 抢先一步

Definition

在别人之前做或说某事，尤其是在有竞争或想抢先的时候。

Usage Notes (Chinese (Simplified))

主要用于口语，表示良性竞争或对方抢先一步的惊讶。常见于工作、运动或日常对话。类似表达：“抢先”，“先下手为强”。不用于严重或负面语境。

Examples

I wanted to ask the question, but she beat me to the punch.

我本来想问这个问题，但她**抢在前面了**。

He beat me to the punch and finished the report first.

他**抢先一步**，先完成了报告。

We wanted to launch the product, but a competitor beat us to the punch.

我们本想推出产品，但竞争对手**抢在前面了**。

If you don’t hurry up and ask her out, someone else might beat you to the punch.

如果你不快点约她出去，可能会有人**抢先一步**。

I thought I had the best idea, but John beat me to the punch with his proposal.

我以为我的想法最好，结果约翰**抢先一步**提出了他的建议。

By the time I got to the store, someone had already beaten me to the punch and bought the last one.

我到商店时，已经有人**抢先**把最后一个买走了。