先 xiān
-
noun
first
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
Notes: In the sense of 先前 (Han Dian '先' n 1; Unihan '先') -
noun
early / prior / former
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
Notes: (Han Dian '先' n 5; Unihan '先') -
verb
to go forward / to advance
Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
Notes: In this sense 先 has the same meaning as 前进 (Han Dian '先' v 2) -
verb
to attach importance to / to value
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
Notes: In this sense 先 has the same meaning as 重视 (Han Dian '先' v 4) -
verb
to start
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
Notes: In this sense 先 has the same meaning as 开始 (Han Dian '先' v 6) -
noun
ancestors / forebears
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
Notes: In this sense 先 has the same meaning as 先世 or 祖先 (Han Dian '先' n 3) -
adverb
earlier
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
Notes: (Han Dian '先' adv) -
adjective
before / in front
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
Notes: In this sense 先 has the same meaning as 前 (Han Dian '先' adj 1) -
adjective
fundamental / basic
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
Notes: In this sense 先 has the same meaning as 首要 or 根本 (Han Dian '先' adj 4) -
proper noun
Xian
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Concept: Surname 姓氏
Notes: (Han Dian '先' n 7) -
noun
ancient / archaic
Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
Notes: In the sense of 先代的 (Han Dian '先' adj 2) -
adjective
super
Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
Notes: In the sense of 上 (Han Dian '先' adj 6) -
adjective
deceased
Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
Notes: In the sense of 死 (Han Dian '先' adj 8)
Contained in
- 先天性缺陷 birth defect
- 先王 former kings / sage-kings
- 先兵后礼(先兵後禮) first troops and then politeness
- 缠夹二先生(纏夾二先生) annoying muddle-headed person who gabbles unintelligibly
- 优先(優先) with priority
- 女士优先(女士優先) Ladies first!
- 有约在先(有約在先) to have a prior engagement
- 直系祖先 direct ancestor
- 先帝遗诏(先帝遺詔) posthumous edict of former emperor
- 先知先觉(先知先覺) foresight / having foresight / person of foresight
- 闻风先遁(聞風先遁) to flee at hearing the news
- 小子先顺(小子先順) worthy progeny
- 先皇 the late Emperor
- 先生 Mr. / sir / mister ; first born ; husband ; teacher ; gentleman ; doctor ; bookkeeper ; fortune teller ; prostitute ; a Taoist scholar
- 先锋派(先鋒派) avant-garde
- 先发(先發) initial / arising first
- 先辈(先輩) former generations
- 乌干达先令(烏干達先令) Uganda shilling
- 后进先出(後進先出) to come late and leave first / last in, first out (LIFO)
- 先决问题(先決問題) preliminary question / priority problem / issues requiring more immediate attention
- 先进水平(先進水平) advanced level
- 先慈 deceased mother
- 先见(先見) foresight / prescience
- 先驱(先驅) a pioneer
- 急先锋(急先鋒) daring vanguard / pioneer / leading figure
- 笨鸟先飞(笨鳥先飛) the clumsy bird flies early / to work hard to compensate for one's limited abilities
- 先大母 deceased paternal grandmother
- 先圣(先聖) an ancient sage / an ancient saint ; Confucius
- 溘先朝露 the morning dew will swiftly dissipate / ephemeral and precarious nature of human existence
- 先头(先頭) in advance / ahead / before / previously
- 一马当先(一馬當先) to take the lead
- 先发制人(先發制人) strike first and gain the advantage over others
- 先生施教 as the teacher bestows his teachings
- 先王之乐(先王之樂) the music of former kings
- 先王之政 the rule of former kings
- 未老先衰 to age prematurely
- 按时间先后(按時間先後) chronological
Also contained in
先秦诸子 、 先汉 、 奉先寺 、 李先念 、 先进先出 、 那先比丘经 、 五柳先生传 、 曲先
Word is mentioned most frequently in
Truncated for common words
- 卷六十九 列傳第二十九 劉湛 范曄 Volume 69 Biographies 29: Liu Zhan, Fan Ye Book of Song 宋書 — count: 53
- 卷33 宋隱 王憲 屈遵 張蒲 榖渾 公孫表 張濟 李先 賈彝 薛提 Volume 33: Song Yin, Wang Xian, Qu Zun, Zhang Pu, Gu Hun, Gongsun Biao, Zhang Ji, Li Xian, Jia Yi, Xue Ti Book of Wei 魏書 — count: 50
- 昭公 Lord Zhao The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳 — count: 49
- 卷二十八下 志第十八下 曆四下 Volume 28b Treatises 21: Calendar 4b New Book of Tang 新唐書 — count: 47
- 卷十四 志第四 禮一 Volume 14 Treatises 4: Rituals 1 Book of Song 宋書 — count: 47
- 卷一百〇二 志第五十五 禮五 Volume 102 Treatises 55: Rites 5 History of Song 宋史 — count: 46
- 卷三十三 列傳第二十三 范泰 荀伯子 徐廣 鄭鮮之 裴松之 何承天 Volume 33 Biographies 23: Fan Tai, Xun Bozi, Xu Guang, Zhen Xianzhi, Pei Songzhi, He Chengtian History of the Southern Dynasties 南史 — count: 46
- 卷三十八 志第十九: 禮十一 外國使入見儀 曲宴儀 朝辭儀 新定夏使儀注 Volume 38 Treatises 19: Rites 11 - Ceremonies for Receiving Foreign Emissaries; Music for Banquets; Farewell Rituals; Ceremonies for Newly Appointed Officials History of Jin 金史 — count: 41
- 卷四十九 志第二十五 禮三 Volume 49 Treatises 25: Rites 3 History of Ming 明史 — count: 41
- 襄公 Lord Xiang The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳 — count: 41
Collocations
- 先轸 (先軫) 先軫曰 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 僖公 Lord Xi — count: 10
- 先蔑 (先蔑) 使先蔑 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 文公 Lord Wen — count: 6
- 先正 (先正) 羣公先正 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 大雅‧蕩之什‧雲漢 Greater odes of the kingdom - Decade Of Dang - Yun Han — count: 6
- 先縠 (先縠) 先縠佐之 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 宣公 Lord Xuan — count: 5
- 请先 (請先) 請先相見 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 隱公 Lord Yin — count: 4
- 先克 (先剋) 先克佐之 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 文公 Lord Wen — count: 4
- 先书 (先書) 先書 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 序 Preface — count: 4
- 晋先 (晉先) 晉先且居 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 文公 Lord Wen — count: 3
- 先犯 (先犯) 若先犯之 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 桓公 Lord Huan — count: 3
- 先归 (先歸) 宰孔先歸 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 僖公 Lord Xi — count: 3