一马当先

to take the lead

one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire; whole; all; throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

surname Ma / abbr. for Malaysia 馬來西亞|马来西亚[Ma3 lai2 xi1 ya4]

horse / CL:匹[pi3] / horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess / knight in Western chess

(onom.) dong / ding dong (bell)

to be / to act as / manage / withstand / when / during / ought / should / match equally / equal / same / obstruct / just at (a time or place) / on the spot / right / just at

at or in the very same... / suitable / adequate / fitting / proper / to replace / to regard as / to think / to pawn / (coll.) to fail (a student)

early / prior / former / in advance / first