事
先

About

The word 事先 is formed by combining the character 事 (shì), meaning "matter" or "affair", with the character 先 (xiān), meaning "before" or "first". Its formation is conceptually straightforward: it places the idea of an "event" within a sequence of time, specifically in the position prior to that event occurring. Thus, the term literally and conceptually means "before the matter", capturing the notion of something done in advance or beforehand.

Example Sentences Hide

我们事先做好了计划。

Wǒmen shìxiān zuò hǎo le jìhuà.

We made the plan in advance.

如果你事先告诉我，我就不会迟到了。

Rúguǒ nǐ shìxiān gàosù wǒ, wǒ jiù bù huì chídào le.

If you had told me in advance, I wouldn't have been late.

为了会议顺利进行，我们事先检查了设备。

Wèile huìyì shùnlì jìnxíng, wǒmen shìxiān jiǎnchá le shèbèi.

To ensure the meeting goes smoothly, we checked the equipment in advance.

由于事先没有充分准备，他的演讲效果不太理想。

Yóuyú shìxiān méiyǒu chōngfèn zhǔnbèi, tā de yǎnjiǎng xiàoguǒ bù tài lǐxiǎng.

Due to lack of sufficient preparation in advance, his speech was not very effective.

尽管事先已经反复沟通，但在实际执行过程中还是出现了意想不到的问题。

Jǐnguǎn shìxiān yǐjīng fǎnfù gōutōng, dàn zài shíjì zhíxíng guòchéng zhōng háishì chūxiàn le yìxiǎng bù dào de wèntí.

Although there had been repeated communication in advance, unexpected problems still arose during the actual implementation.

Word Definition - 事先

shì xiān in advance; before the event; beforehand; prior

Individual Character Details

事 shì
先 xiān