Chinese word

先

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiān

Meaning

  • adverbbefore

Example

他比我先到。tā bǐ wǒ xiān dào

He arrives before me.

Illustration for 先 (before)

More examples

我先休息一下。wǒ xiān xiū xī yí xià

I'll rest for a bit first.

Core concept

A marker that puts one action at the front of a timeline or sequence.

Common phrases

  • 先休息xiān xiū xī

    rest first

  • 先看书xiān kàn shū

    read first

  • 先喝水xiān hē shuǐ

    drink water first

Similar words

再zài: Marks an action that follows another action in sequence.
就jiù: Shows that an action happens immediately after another event.
才cái: Shows that an action happens later than expected.

Definition in Chinese

表示动作或事情在时间上或处理顺序上居于最前，常用于说明先做某事再做下一步。biǎo shì dòng zuò huò shì qíng zài shí jiān shàng huò chú lǐ shùn xù shàng jū yú zuì qián cháng yòng yú shuō míng xiān zuò mǒu shì zài zuò xià yí bù

Word origin

Traditional analysis of 先 (xiān, "before") pictures a person ahead, connecting physical front position with earlier time and an earlier step in a sequence.

Usage tips

  • 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 meanings

  • firstadverb
  • in advanceadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word