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先 . In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
先 , but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
先 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
先 you have here. The definition of the word
先 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
先 , as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Translingual
Stroke order
Han character
先 (Kangxi radical 10, 儿 +4, 6 strokes, cangjie input 竹土竹山 (HGHU ), four-corner 24211 , composition ⿱𠂒 儿 )
Derived characters
侁 , 冼 , 𫩱 , 姺 , 𢏡 , 㧥 , 洗 , 𤞓 , 选 , 㭠 , 㱡 , 毨 , 烍 , 珗 , 𥏌 , 䊁 , 兟 , 𠸛 , 䚚 , 詵 (诜 ), 跣 , 酰 , 銑 (铣 ), 駪
𠜎 , 䢾 , 㪇 , 㰫 , 𠒑 , 𠒒 , 𥏋 , 𠸜 , 𠒣 , 𠒷 , 𠓀 , 𰀐
宪 , 㾌 , 筅 , 𨴐
㮱
References
Kangxi Dictionary: page 124 , character 5
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1349
Dae Jaweon: page 260, character 6
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 267, character 2
Unihan data for U+5148
Chinese
Wikipedia has articles on:
先 (Written Standard Chinese? ) 先 (Cantonese)
Glyph origin
Historical forms of the character 先
Shang
Western Zhou
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han )
Liushutong (compiled in Ming )
Oracle bone script
Bronze inscriptions
Small seal script
Transcribed ancient scripts
j20804
j20805
j20806
j20807
j20808
j20809
j20810
j20811
j20812
j20813
j20814
j20815
j20816
j20817
j20818
j20819
j20820
j20821
j20822
j20823
j20824
j20825
j20826
j20827
j20828
j20829
j20830
j20831
j20832
j20833
j20834
j20835
j20836
j20837
j20838
j20839
j20840
j20841
j20842
j20843
j20844
j20845
j20846
j20847
j20848
j20849
j20850
j20851
j20852
j20853
j20854
j20855
j20856
j20857
j20858
j20859
j20860
j20861
j20862
j20863
j20864
j20865
j20866
j20867
j20868
j20869
j20870
j20871
j20872
j20873
j20874
j20875
j20876
j20877
j20878
j20879
j20880
j20881
j20882
j20883
j20884
j20885
j20886
j20887
j20888
j20889
j20890
j20891
j20892
j20893
j20894
b13509
b13510
b13511
b13512
b13513
b13514
b13515
b13516
b13517
b13518
b13519
b13520
b13521
b13522
b13523
b13524
b13525
b13526
b13527
b13528
b13529
b13530
b13531
b13532
b13533
b13534
b13535
b13536
b13537
b13538
b13539
b13540
s06218
Transcribed ancient scripts
L31820
L31821
L31822
L31823
L31824
L31825
L06548
L06549
L06550
L06551
L06552
L06553
L06541
L06542
L06543
L06544
L06545
L06546
L06547
L06554
L06555
References :
Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation ), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:
Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).
Old Chinese
洗
*sɯːlʔ, *sɯːnʔ
先
*sɯːn, *sɯːns
銑
*sɯːnʔ
跣
*sɯːnʔ
毨
*sɯːnʔ
姺
*sɯːnʔ, *srin
筅
*sɯːnʔ
冼
*sɯːnʔ
箲
*sɯːnʔ
駪
*srin
兟
*srin
詵
*srin
侁
*srin
Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意 ) : 止 ( “ foot ” ) + 儿 ( “ person ” ) – to go forward.
Etymology
Sino-Tibetan . Cognate with Tibetan བསེལ ( bsel , “ to protect (on a dangerous path); to escort ” ) , Chepang स्यालःसा ( syalʔ‑ , “ to lead; to go or do first; to open way ” ) (Schuessler, 2007 ).
Pronunciation 1
Mandarin
(Standard )
(Pinyin ) : xiān (xian1 )
(Zhuyin ) : ㄒㄧㄢ
(Chengdu , Sichuanese Pinyin ) : xian1
(Xi'an , Guanzhong Pinyin ) : xiǎn
(Nanjing , Nanjing Pinyin ) : sièn
(Dungan , Cyrillic and Wiktionary ) : щян (xi͡an, I)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou –Hong Kong , Jyutping ) : sin1
(Taishan , Wiktionary ) : lhen1
Gan (Wiktionary ) : xien1
Hakka
(Sixian , PFS ) : siên / sîn
(Meixian , Guangdong ) : xiên1
Jin (Wiktionary ) : xie1
Northern Min (KCR ) : síng / sáing
Eastern Min (BUC ) : sĕng / siĕng
Southern Min
(Hokkien , POJ ) : seng / suiⁿ / sin / sian
(Teochew , Peng'im ) : soin1 / sain1 / sing1
Wu (Northern , Wugniu ) : 1 shi / 1 sie / 1 shien
Xiang (Changsha , Wiktionary ) : sienn1
Note :
sĕng - vernacular;
siĕng - literary.
Note :
seng/suiⁿ - vernacular;
sin - vernacular (limited, e.g. 先生 );
sian - literary.
Note :
soin1/sain1 - vernacular (sain1 - Chaoyang, Jieyang);
sing1 - literary.
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
先
Reading #
1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
xiān
Middle Chinese
‹ sen ›
Old Chinese
/*sˁər/
English
first
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
先
Reading #
1/2
No.
13458
Phonetic component
先
Rime group
文
Rime subdivision
1
Corresponding MC rime
先
Old Chinese
/*sɯːn/
Definitions
先
first ; ahead of time ; before ; beforehand
我 要 先 去 洗手間 。 [MSC , trad. ] 我 要 先 去 洗手间 。 [MSC , simp. ] Wǒ yào xiān qù xǐshǒujiān. I need to go to the bathroom first .
他 比 我 先 畢業 。/ 他 比 我 先 毕业 。 ― Tā bǐ wǒ xiān bìyè. ― He graduated earlier than me.
我 要 去 廁所 先 。 [Cantonese , trad. ] 我 要 去 厕所 先 。 [Cantonese , simp. ] ngo5 jiu3 heoi3 ci3 so2 sin1 . I need to go to the bathroom first .
唔好 去 住 先 。 [Cantonese , trad. and simp. ] m4 hou2 heoi3 zyu6 sin1 . (For now) don't go.
first ; preceding ; prior
Antonym: 後 / 后 ( hòu )
先 聲/ 先 声 ― xiān shēng ― herald; sign
領先 / 领先 ― lǐngxiān ― to be in the lead
先 兩日/ 先 两日 [Cantonese ] ― sin1 loeng5 jat6 ― day before yesterday; two days ago
for the time being ; for the moment
( colloquial ) earlier on ; before ; at first
ancient
deceased ; late
先 父 ― xiān fù ― deceased father
ancestor ; forefather
祖先 ― zǔxiān ― ancestor
thing of utmost importance
Short for 先生 (xiānshēng ).
Short for 先手 (xiānshǒu ).
( Cantonese ) only then
佢 瞓 到 而家 先 瞓 醒 覺 。 [Cantonese , trad. ] 佢 𰥛 到 而家 先 𰥛 醒 觉 。 [Cantonese , simp. ] keoi5 fan3 dou3 ji4 gaa1 sin1 fan3 seng2 gaau3 . He slept so long that he only woke up just now.
這 先 叫 成長 嗎 [Literary Cantonese , trad. ] 这 先 叫 成长 吗 [Literary Cantonese , simp. ] From: 2020 , 薛凱琪 [Fiona Sit ], lyrics by 黃偉文 [Wyman Wong ], 南昌街王子 ze2 sin1 giu3 sing4 zoeng2 maa3 Only then would this be called growing?
( Cantonese ) first off
你 買 咗 未 先 ? [Cantonese , trad. ] 你 买 咗 未 先 ? [Cantonese , simp. ] nei5 maai5 zo2 mei6 sin1 ? First off, have you even bought it yet?
( Cantonese ) Used to emphasize that something is/is not.
我 先 唔 同 佢 講 。 [Cantonese , trad. ] 我 先 唔 同 佢 讲 。 [Cantonese , simp. ] ngo5 sin1 m4 tung4 keoi5 gong2 . There's no way I'm going to tell them. / No , I am not going to tell them. / They are the last person I would tell.
呢啲 先 係 唱歌 。 [Cantonese , trad. ] 呢啲 先 系 唱歌 。 [Cantonese , simp. ] ni1 di1 sin1 hai6 coeng3 go1 . This is true singing.
你 先 食 一 碗 飯 點 會 夠 ! [Cantonese , trad. ] 你 先 食 一 碗 饭 点 会 够 ! [Cantonese , simp. ] nei5 sin1 sik6 jat1 wun2 faan6 dim2 wui5 gau3 ! How can you be full eating only one bowl of rice?
a surname
Usage notes
( first; beforehand ) : In Standard Mandarin, 先 comes before the verb; in Cantonese, Teochew and Southeast Asian Mandarin, 先 comes after the verb (and elements such as verb aspect and verb object).
Synonyms
( first ) : 首先 (shǒuxiān ), 最先 (zuìxiān ), 第一 (dì-yī )
( only then ) :
Dialectal synonyms of
才 (“only after; only then; not ... until”)
Compounds
References
Pronunciation 2
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
先
Reading #
2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
xiàn
Middle Chinese
‹ senH ›
Old Chinese
/*sˁər-s/
English
go first
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
先
Reading #
2/2
No.
13467
Phonetic component
先
Rime group
文
Rime subdivision
1
Corresponding MC rime
霰
Old Chinese
/*sɯːns/
Definitions
先
† to guide ; to initiate
† to be earlier
† to surpass
† originally
† to introduce
† term of address for one's elder brother's wife
Pronunciation 3
Definitions
先
Only used in 先馬 / 先马 .
References
Japanese
Kanji
先
(First grade kyōiku kanji )
Readings
Compounds
Etymology 1
From Old Japanese ,[ 1] [ 2] from Proto-Japonic *saki . Cognate with 崎 ( saki , “ a (geographical) point, where the land sticks out into the water ” ) .[ 3]
Pronunciation
Noun
先( さき ) • (saki )
before , previous
Synonym: 先に ( saki ni , “ adverb ” )
どっち が先( さき ) か。Dotchi ga saki ka. Which one was first ?
end , tip
矢( や ) の先( さき ) ya no saki tip of an arrow
earlier , the past
afterwards , the future
the destination of a motion or action
送信( そうしん ) 先( さき ) sōshin-saki recipient
バイト 先( さき ) baito-saki workplace (of a part-time job)
行( ゆ ) き先( さき ) 不明( ふめい ) yuki-saki fumei whereabouts unknown
お帰( かえ ) り先( さき ) o-kaeri-saki place of return
sequel
ahead , in front
その 先( さき ) は森( もり ) の奥( おく ) 。Sono saki wa mori no oku. What lies beyond there is the heart of the forest.
Derived terms
Idioms
Etymology 2
For pronunciation and definitions of 先 – see the following entry.
(This term, 先 , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)
Etymology 3
From Middle Chinese 先 (MC sen| senH ).
Pronunciation
Noun
先( せん ) • (sen )
before , previous
Derived terms
References
^ Omodaka, Hisataka (1967 ) 時代別国語大辞典 上代編 (in Japanese), Tōkyō : Sanseidō , →ISBN , page 322
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 “さき 【先・前】 ”, in 日本国語大辞典 (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo : Shogakukan , 2000-2002, released online 2007 , →ISBN , concise edition entry available here
^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988 ) 国語大辞典(新装版) (in Japanese), Tōkyō : Shogakukan , →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira , editor (2006 ), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo : Sanseidō , →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute , editor (1998 ), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo : NHK Publishing, Inc. , →ISBN
Korean
Etymology 1
From Middle Chinese 先 (MC sen ).
Pronunciation
Hanja
Wikisource
先 (eumhun 먼저 선 ( meonjeo seon ) )
Hanja form? of 선 ( “ first ; foremost ” ) .
Hanja form? of 선 ( “ former ; previous ” ) .
Compounds
Compounds
선각 (先覺 , seon'gak )
선결 (先決 , seon'gyeol )
선고 (先考 , seon'go )
선구 (先驅 , seon'gu )
선급 (先給 , seon'geup )
선김 (先金 , seon'gim )
선단 (先端 , seondan )
선대 (先代 , seondae )
선례 (先例 , seollye )
선배 (先輩 , seonbae )
선봉 (先鋒 , seonbong )
선산 (先山 , seonsan )
선생 (先生 , seonsaeng )
선세 (先世 , seonse )
선수 (先手 , seonsu )
선약 (先約 , seonyak )
선열 (先烈 , seonyeol )
선영 (先塋 , seonyeong )
선조 (先祖 , seonjo )
선진 (先進 , seonjin )
선착 (先着 , seonchak )
선창 (先唱 , seonchang )
선천 (先天 , seoncheon )
선취 (先取 , seonchwi )
선친 (先親 , seonchin )
선행 (先行 , seonhaeng )
우선 (于先 , useon )
우선 (優先 , useon )
조선 (祖先 , joseon )
선구자 (先驅者 , seon'guja )
선도자 (先導者 , seondoja )
선입견 (先入見 , seonipgyeon )
선입관 (先入觀 , seonipgwan )
선지자 (先知者 , seonjija )
선진국 (先進國 , seonjin'guk )
선착순 (先着順 , seonchaksun )
선천적 (先天的 , seoncheonjeok )
선후책 (先後策 , seonhuchaek )
설렁탕 (先農湯 , seolleongtang )
Etymology 2
Related to Middle Chinese 洗 (MC sejX ).
Hanja
先 (eumhun 전구 (前驅 ) 세 )
( archaic ) hanja form? of 세 ( “ to lead ; to guide ” )
Compounds
References
국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典 .
Vietnamese
Han character
先 : Hán Việt readings: tiên (蘇 ( tô ) 前 ( tiền ) 切 ( thiết ) )[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] , tiến [ 5]
先 : Nôm readings: tiên [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 6] , tên [ 1] , ten [ 3] , teng [ 3]
Chữ Hán form of tiên ( “ first ; prior ; before ” ) .
Compounds
References