先 xiān

1. xiān noun first
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Time 时间
   Notes: In the sense of 先前 (Han Dian '先' n 1; Unihan '先')
2. xiān noun early / prior / former
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Time 时间
   Notes: (Han Dian '先' n 5; Unihan '先')
3. xiān 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)
4. xiān 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)
5. xiān 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)
6. xiān noun ancestors / forebears
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Genealogy 世系
   Notes: In this sense 先 has the same meaning as 先世 or 祖先 (Han Dian '先' n 3)
7. xiān adverb earlier
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Social Interaction 交际
   Notes: (Han Dian '先' adv)
8. xiān adjective before / in front
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Position 位
   Notes: In this sense 先 has the same meaning as 前 (Han Dian '先' adj 1)
9. xiān adjective fundamental / basic
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Philosophy 哲学
   Notes: In this sense 先 has the same meaning as 首要 or 根本 (Han Dian '先' adj 4)
10. xiān proper noun Xian
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Names 名字 , Concept: Surname 姓氏
    Notes: (Han Dian '先' n 7)
11. xiān noun ancient / archaic
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 先代的 (Han Dian '先' adj 2)
12. xiān adjective super
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 上 (Han Dian '先' adj 6)
13. xiān adjective deceased
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 死 (Han Dian '先' adj 8)

Contained in

• 先辈(先輩) former generations
• 肯尼亚先令(肯尼亞先令) Kenya shilling
• 索马里先令(索馬裡先令) Somali shilling
• 乌干达先令(烏干達先令) Uganda shilling
• 首先 first
• 先进(先進) advanced ; advance
• 优先(優先) with priority
• 先生 Mr. / sir / mister / teacher / title of respect / gentleman ; first born
• 先后(先後) start and finish ; in succession ; sisters in law ; to assist
• 事先 in advance / beforehand / prior
• 领先(領先) to lead / to be in front
• 先行 to precede
• 争先(爭先) to compete to be first / to contest first place
• 少先队(少先隊) Young Pioneers
• 预先(預先) beforehand / prior / in advance
• 原先 former / original
• 祖先 ancestors / forebears
• 先锋(先鋒) a pioneer
• 先前 before / previously
• 争先恐后(爭先恐後) striving to be first and fearing to be last
• 先王 former kings / sage-kings
• 先导(先導) a guide / a forerunner / a pioneer
• 先发制人(先發制人) strike first and gain the advantage over others
• 先天 inborn / innate / natural ; Xiantian
• 先天性 innateness
• 先例 an antecedent / a precedent
• 先河 priority
• 率先 to take the lead / to show initiative
• 先圣(先聖) an ancient sage / an ancient saint ; Confucius
• 先世 ancestry
• 先贤(先賢) a worthy predecessor / a former sage
• 先驱(先驅) a pioneer
• 最先 the first / the earliest
• 先声(先聲) a herald / a precursor / a harbinger
• 先祖 deceased grandfather / ancestry
• 先公 deceased father / deceased senior male figure
• 小子先顺(小子先順) worthy progeny
• 承先启后(承先啟後) to follow the past and herald the future / part of a historical transition / forming a bridge between earlier and later stages
• 算命先生 fortune-teller
• 革命先烈 martyr to the revolution
• 遥遥领先(遙遙領先) a long way in front / to lead by a wide margin

Also contained in

先秦 、 僧先 、 先行词 、 赛先生 、 德先生 、 曲先 、 先泥 、 国王不梨先泥十夢经 、 那先比丘经 、 大福先寺

Word is mentioned most frequently in

Truncated for common words

• 昭公 Lord Zhao The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 《春秋左氏傳》 — count: 79
• 襄公 Lord Xiang The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 《春秋左氏傳》 — count: 63
• 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: 55
• 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: 54
• 卷十四 志第四 禮一 Volume 14 Treatises 4: Rituals 1 Book of Song 《宋書》 — count: 52
• 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: 51
• 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: 48
• 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
• 卷六十一 吳書十六 潘濬陸凱傳 Volume 61: Book of Wu 16 - Biographies of Pan Jun and Lu Kai Records of the Three Kingdoms 《三國志》 — count: 44
• 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: 43

Collocations

• 先君 (先君) 先君之思 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 國風‧邶‧燕燕 Lessons from the states - Odes of Bei - Yan Yan — count: 40
• 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
• 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
• 先书 (先書) 先書 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 《春秋左氏傳》, 序 Preface — 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
• 先哲王 (先哲王) 往敷求于殷先哲王 — Book of Documents 《尚書》, 周書 康誥 Zhou Shu - Announcement to the Prince of Kang — count: 4
• 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
• 先入 (先入) 費請先入 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 《春秋左氏傳》, 莊公 Lord Zhang — count: 3
• 殷先 (殷先) 往敷求于殷先哲王 — Book of Documents 《尚書》, 周書 康誥 Zhou Shu - Announcement to the Prince of Kang — count: 3