に先駆けて|にさきがけて
- 1Ahead of others; being the first to do something before rivals, competitors, or other parties.Ex. 1
- 2Prior to an event; doing something before it takes place.Ex. 2
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A formal expression found mainly in writing, news reports, business, and official announcements. Its core nuance is being first or ahead of others, which gives it a sense of pioneering. When it simply marks time before an event, it overlaps with に先立って, but it still tends to suggest doing something early or ahead.
Learners should attach it to nouns, not verbs; use a construction like 〜する前に after a verb.
Do not use it for trivial everyday actions; it suits notable events, launches, or achievements.
Note that it is formal and sounds out of place in casual conversation.
- 1.〜に先立ってN2「に先立って」stresses simple time order; in the sense of doing something before an event begins, it is often interchangeable with this pattern. You can say 「他社に先立って」, but it does not highlight the sense of being ahead, and it can also attach to a verb in its dictionary form.
- 2.に先立ちN2「に先立ち」likewise stresses plain time order, with only a weak sense of leading the way; besides nouns it can attach to a verb's dictionary form, and in formal speeches you can use 「に先立ちまして」. In the sense of doing something before an event starts, the two are often interchangeable.
- 3.を皮切りにN1「を皮切りに」presents something as the starting point from which related events then occur one after another or the scope expands, focusing on the start of a series of developments. It does not express getting ahead of others or acting in advance, so the two are generally not interchangeable; it can also attach to 「dictionary-form verb + の」.
- 4.〜に向けてN2「に向けて」is used for preparing for a future goal or event, or for directing information at a target, and carries no sense of getting ahead. 「発売に向けて」stresses preparing for a release while 「発売に先駆けて」stresses acting before it; the two are sometimes interchangeable but differ in emphasis.
- 5.を機にN1「を機に」means taking something as an opportunity to start a new action or undergo a change afterward, whereas 「に先駆けて」means doing something before others or before something begins, so the two cannot be interchanged. 「を機に」can also take the form 「verb + のを機に」.
〜に先立って and に先立ち simply mark something done beforehand, often in preparation, while に先駆けて stresses being ahead of others. を皮切りに marks the first in a series that follows, 〜に向けて indicates a goal being worked toward, and を機に marks an occasion taken as an opportunity for change.
