Chinese word

首先

Pronunciation

Pinyinshǒu xiān

Meaning

  • adverbfirst

Example

首先，我们要确认时间。shǒu xiān wǒ men yào què rèn shí jiān

First, we need to confirm the time.

Illustration for 首先 (first)

More examples

写报告时，首先要说明目的。xiě bào gào shí shǒu xiān yào shuō míng mù dì

When writing a report, first explain its purpose.

Core concept

The front place in an ordered path of actions or ideas.

Common phrases

  • 首先要做shǒu xiān yào zuò

    the first thing to do

  • 首先来说shǒu xiān lái shuō

    to begin with

Similar words

先xiān: Used when an action should happen before other actions.
先把xiān bǎ: Used to say that a particular thing should be handled first before the next step.
一开始yì kāi shǐ: Used for the first moment or period when something begins.
起初qǐ chū: Used to describe the initial state or events at the beginning of something.

Definition in Chinese

作为副词，表示在若干步骤或论点中首先发生或首先要做的事。zuò wéi fù cí biǎo shì zài ruò gān bù zhòu huò lùn diǎn zhōng shǒu xiān fā shēng huò shǒu xiān yào zuò de shì

Word origin

首 (shǒu, "head") + 先 (xiān, "ahead") presents the head or leading part as the part that comes before everything else.

Usage tips

  • In a list or explanation, 首先 (shǒuxiān, "first") helps listeners follow the order, especially when later points are marked one by one.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word