中文里形容“前无古人”地做一件事时，常用“第一个吃螃蟹的人”或“拓荒者”来形容，看看英文里怎么表达这个意思。

1. be the first to do something:

例：

The Spanish were the first to keep cattle in the American deserts. （这些西班牙人是最早开始在北美沙漠中饲养牲畜的。）

She was the first to see the link between poverty and poor health. （她是看出贫穷导致疾病的第一人。）

be the first person to do something

Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space. （尤里·加加林是第一个飞上太空的人。）

2. show the way/lead the way: to be the first to do something, especially something good or successful, which may encourage others to do something similar

例：

Once the Japanese had shown the way, manufacturers in other countries soon began to use robots on a large scale. （日本厂商率先在生产中大规模使用机器人，很快，其他国家厂商也开始效仿。）

lead the way in doing something

The company has led the way in developing environmentally friendly products. （该公司率先研发环保型产品。）

3. never been done/attempted/tried before: use this about something someone does or tries to do that no one has ever done before

例：

The special effects in the movie included things that had never been done before. （这部电影中的一些特效独辟蹊径。）

Because of advances in technology, we are able to try something that has never been attempted before. （有赖于科技进步，我们现在能够做前人没做过的事。）

4. pioneer: to be the first to invent or find a new method of doing something, and make it possible or easier for others to do the same

例：

a painter who pioneered a new art form（开创了新的艺术形式的画家）

He helped pioneer a new route to the west. （在他的帮助下，开辟了一条通往西方的新航道。）

He pioneered in the development of airplanes. （在飞机发展史上，他是先驱。）

Heart-transplant surgery was pioneered by Professor Christian Barnard. （克里斯蒂安·伯纳德教授是实施心脏移植手术的先驱。）

5. pioneering: using new and better methods or ideas for the first time

例：

Her pioneering work in the field of education will be remembered. （人们会牢记她在教育领域的开创性成就。）

He played a pioneering role in the development of online business models. （在线商业模式的发展史上，他是先驱。）

6. break new ground: if someone or their work breaks new ground, their work is completely new and different from anything that existed before

例：

Roosevelt's social reform program broke new ground. （罗斯福的社会改革方案独辟蹊径。）

The album is enjoyable, but breaks no new ground. （这张唱片很好听，但没什么创意。）

There's a lot of new ground being broken in the field of genetic research. （基因研究领域一直有突破性的成就产生。）

7. break the mold: to be the first to do something in a different way from the way it was usually done before

备注：''break the mold''常用于美式英语中，英式英语常作''break the mould''。

例：

The governor urged teachers to break the mold in establishing new ways of teaching. （校长要求教师们打破传统教学模式，另辟蹊径。）

The new party promised to break the mould of British politics. （这个新政党承诺将打破英国政治的传统模式，开拓创新。）