About
The character 先 is an ideogrammic compound combining 之 (zhī), a foot moving forward, above 儿 (ér), a person, depicting the action of stepping ahead. This image of a person advancing before others established its core meanings of being first, prior, or earlier in time or sequence. From the idea of something existing or happening before, it naturally extended to refer to past individuals, such as ancestors or deceased predecessors, and it commonly functions as a prefix indicating priority or preceding actions in temporal contexts.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我先去吃饭。
你可以先走。
王先生来了。
我们先到里面去。
你先洗手，再吃饭。
在开会之前，我们先讨论一下。
如果你先完成作业，就可以看电视。
在考虑长期投资之前，必须先了解市场风险。