About
The character "先", meaning "first", "before", or "ancestor", derives from a conceptual pictorial composition representing a person with a foot placed forward, originally suggesting the idea of advancing or being ahead of others. Its early structure combined elements indicating a foot and a person, visually conveying the act of stepping forth, which logically extended to denote temporal and sequential priority. Over time, this core sense of spatial precedence broadened to encompass the abstract notion of occurring earlier in time, as in "ancient times" or "the past", and further specialized into a respectful term for those who have passed on, as seen in "祖先" meaning "ancestors". The character's form has remained largely consistent, and its traditional representation is identical to its modern standard form, with its conceptual foundation continuing to inform its range of meanings from concrete movement to abstract precedence and venerable antiquity.
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。