The Chinese word 预先 (yùxiān) is formed through the common morphological process of compounding, specifically as a coordinative compound where both constituent characters contribute related and reinforcing meanings. The first character 预 (yù) means "in advance" or "to prepare", while the second character 先 (xiān) means "first", "early", or "beforehand". When combined, they create an adverb that intensifies and specifies the temporal notion of "beforehand", resulting in the meaning "in advance", "prior to", or "beforehand", where the two semantic elements of preparation and anteriority merge into a single, cohesive concept.