其
次

About

The word 其次 is formed through the combination of two meaningful components: the demonstrative pronoun 其 (qí), meaning "that" or "its", which establishes a reference to something previously mentioned, and the character 次 (cì), which denotes "sequence", "order", or "next". Together, they create a compound where 其 points to an established context, and 次 then indicates the item or idea that logically follows it in sequence, thus forming a term whose core meaning is inherently relational and positional, signifying "the next one of those" or "that which comes after".

Example Sentences Hide

首先吃饭，其次喝水。

Shǒuxiān chīfàn, qícì hēshuǐ.

First eat, then drink water.

我首先完成工作，其次考虑休息。

Wǒ shǒuxiān wánchéng gōngzuò, qícì kǎolǜ xiūxi.

I first finish my work, then consider resting.

质量是最重要的，其次才是价格。

Zhìliàng shì zuì zhòngyào de, qícì cái shì jiàgé.

Quality is the most important, and only then comes the price.

在做出决定之前，首先要收集信息，其次要分析利弊。

Zài zuò chū juédìng zhīqián, shǒuxiān yào shōují xìnxī, qícì yào fēnxī lìbì.

Before making a decision, you must first gather information, and then analyze the pros and cons.

虽然时间紧迫，但我们必须首先解决主要问题，其次才能处理次要事项。

Suīrán shíjiān jǐnpò, dàn wǒmen bìxū shǒuxiān jiějué zhǔyào wèntí, qícì cáinéng chǔlǐ cìyào shìxiàng.

Although time is pressing, we must first solve the main problem, and only then can we deal with secondary matters.

Word Definition - 其次

qí cì next; secondly

Individual Character Details

其 qí
次 cì