(xiān) - first, in advance, earlier in Mandarin

xiān

Traditional: 先

HSK 2

#260 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

first, in advance, earlier

Word origin

The character 先 (xiān) 'first, earlier' shows a foot advancing above a person 儿, depicting someone going ahead, hence 'first' or 'in advance'.

Origin: ideograph
Root: a foot/step above a person 儿, depicting going ahead

Stroke order

先

Examples

。

You go first.

，。

Eat first, then talk.

。

I'll head back first.

，。

You go first, I'll be right there.

。

Wash your hands before eating.

先 (xiān) means first, in advance, earlier. It is used as a adverb in everyday Mandarin speech.

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Appears in 2 words

Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 先.

先生xiān shēngMr., sir; husband (informal)首先shǒu xiānfirst of all, first and foremost

Used in

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(5)

Grammar articles

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Mandarin · Free printables

先: worksheet, infographic and listicle

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This word is part of lesson 6.