English–Chinese
“before” in Chinese
How to say “before” in Chinese
“Before” in Chinese is 先 (xiān).
A marker that puts one action at the front of a timeline or sequence.
Example sentences with 先
我先休息一下。wǒ xiān xiū xī yí xià
I'll rest for a bit first.
Tips for using 先
- Chinese commonly places this word directly before the action it puts first and pairs it with the word for the next step, making a plan's order clear.
Other Chinese words for “before”
我之前去过北京。wǒ zhī qián qù guò běi jīng
I have been to Beijing before.
我此前没见过他。wǒ cǐ qián méi jiàn guò tā
I had never met him before.