身先士卒

shēnxiānshìzú
  1. to fight at the head of one's troops
  2. (fig.) to take the lead

CEDICT

  1. (figurative) to take the lead as the leader
  2. (literal) to be situated in front of all soldiers and attack the enemy as the general
  3. to be situated in front of all soldiers and attack the enemy as the general
  4. to take the lead as the leader

Wiktionary

  1. 作战时将帅奋勇杀敌于士兵之前。《三国演义．第七二回》：「披坚执锐，临难不顾，身先士卒；赏必行，罚必信。」也作「躬先士卒」、「身先士众」。
  2. 比喻领导、带头走在众人之前。

重編國語辭典

Entry Composition

1 身 shēn
  1. body
  2. life
  3. oneself
  4. personally
  5. one's morality and conduct
  6. the main part of a structure or body
  7. pregnant
  8. classifier for sets of clothes: suit, twinset
  9. Kangxi radical 158
2 先 xiān
  1. beforehand; first; earlier
  2. at first; originally
  3. for the time being; for now
  4. (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)
3 士卒 shìzú
  1. soldier
  2. private (army)

Related entries

一马当先 yīmǎdāngxiān (idiom) to take the lead
占上风 zhànshàngfēng
  1. to take the lead
  2. to gain the upper hand
打头阵 dǎtóuzhèn to take the lead
挑头 tiǎotóu
  1. to take the lead
  2. to be first to (do sth)
  3. to pioneer
率先 shuàixiān
  1. to take the lead
  2. to show initiative
领头 lǐngtóu
  1. to take the lead
  2. to be first to start
日本是世界高科技产业的领头人。

Japan is the leader of the world's high-tech industry.

Source: Tatoeba

牵头 qiāntóu
  1. to lead (an animal by the head)
  2. to take the lead
  3. to coordinate (a combined operation)
  4. to mediate
  5. a go-between (e.g. marriage broker)
反超 fǎnchāo
  1. to reverse (the score)
  2. to pull off a comeback
  3. to take the lead
超前 chāoqián
  1. to be ahead of one's time
  2. to surpass or outdo one's predecessors
  3. to be ahead of the pack
  4. to take the lead
  5. advanced