出头的椽子先烂

chū tóu de chuán zi xiān làn

lit. rafters that jut out rot first (idiom)

fig. anyone who makes himself conspicuous will be targeted for attack

出

chū

variant of 出[chu1] (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels)

头

tóu

head

的

de

of; ~'s (possessive particle)

椽

chuán

beam

子

zi

noun suffix, as in 椅子[yi3 zi5] "chair"

先

xiān

beforehand; first; earlier

烂

làn

soft; mushy