笨鸟先飞

bèn niǎo xiān fēi

the slow must start early

Character by character

笨bèn
clumsy

鸟niǎo
bird

先xiān
first

飞fēi
fly

我基础差，只能笨鸟先飞，每天早起背单词。

My basics are weak, so I get a head start — up early every day learning words.

Tone: neutral.

Modest when said of oneself, rude when said of others.

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