先 - Wikiwand

More information simp. and trad. ...

simp. and trad.		先

Wikipedia has articles on:

先 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
先 (Cantonese)

Glyph origin

More information Historical forms of the character 先, Shang ...

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

Oracle bone script 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 Bronze inscriptions 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 Small seal script 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).

More information Old Chinese ...

	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

Characters in the same phonetic series (先) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

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

More information Variety, Location ...

Variety	Location	edit 先
Mandarin	Beijing	/ɕian⁵⁵/
	Harbin	/ɕian⁴⁴/
	Tianjin	/t͡ɕʰian²¹/ /ɕian²¹/
	Jinan	/ɕiã²¹³/
	Qingdao	/siã²¹³/
	Zhengzhou	/sian²⁴/
	Xi'an	/ɕiã²¹/
	Xining	/ɕiã⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/ɕian⁴⁴/
	Lanzhou	/ɕiɛ̃n³¹/
	Ürümqi	/ɕian⁴⁴/
	Wuhan	/ɕiɛn⁵⁵/
	Chengdu	/ɕian⁵⁵/
	Guiyang	/ɕian⁵⁵/
	Kunming	/ɕiɛ̃⁴⁴/
	Nanjing	/sien³¹/
	Hefei	/ɕiĩ²¹/ /t͡ɕʰiĩ²¹/
Jin	Taiyuan	/ɕie¹¹/
	Pingyao	/ɕie̞¹³/
	Hohhot	/ɕie³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/ɕi⁵³/
	Suzhou	/siɪ⁵⁵/
	Hangzhou	/ɕiẽ̞³³/
	Wenzhou	/ɕi³³/
Hui	Shexian	/se³¹/
Hui	Tunxi	/siɛ¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/siẽ³³/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/siẽ³³/
Gan	Nanchang	/ɕiɛn⁴²/
Hakka	Meixian	/sian⁴⁴/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/sien²⁴/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/sin⁵³/
	Nanning	/ɬin⁵⁵/
	Hong Kong	/sin⁵⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/sian⁵⁵/ /siŋ⁵⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/sɛiŋ⁴⁴/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/siŋ⁵⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/siŋ³³/ /sõi³³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/sin²³/ /ti²³/ /tai²³/

More information Rime, Character ...

Rime
Character	先
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	先 (85)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	蘇前切
Baxter	sen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sen/
Pan Wuyun	/sen/
Shao Rongfen	/sɛn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/sɛn/
Li Rong	/sen/
Wang Li	/sien/
Bernhard Karlgren	/sien/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sin¹

More information Character, Reading # ...

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. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

More information Zhengzhang system (2003), Character ...

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/

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

(Hailu, HRS): sien^ˋ / sen^ˋ / sin^ˋ

(Meixian, Guangdong): xiên¹
Jin (Wiktionary): xie¹
Northern Min (KCR): síng / sáing
Eastern Min (BUC): sĕng / siĕng
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): se¹ / siⁿ¹ / seng¹
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): seng / suiⁿ / sin / sian

(Teochew, Peng'im): soin¹ / sain¹ / sing¹
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ¹shi / ¹sie / ¹shien
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): sienn¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiān
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: sian
  - Wade–Giles: hsien¹
  - Yale: syān
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shian
  - Palladius: сянь (sjanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: xian¹
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: xian
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiɛn⁵⁵/
- (Xi'an)
  - Guanzhong Pinyin: xiǎn
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiã²¹/
- (Nanjing)
  - Nanjing Pinyin: sièn
  - Nanjing Pinyin (numbered): sien¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siẽ³¹/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: щян (xi͡an, I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiæ̃²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: sin¹
  - Yale: sīn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: sin¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: xin¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːn⁵⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: lhen¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬen³³/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: xien¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiɛn⁴²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: siên / sîn
  - Hakka Romanization System: xien^ˊ / xin^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: xian¹ / xin¹
  - Sinological IPA: /si̯en²⁴/, /sin²⁴/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: sien^ˋ / sen^ˋ / sin^ˋ
  - Sinological IPA: /sien⁵³/, /sen⁵³/, /sin⁵³/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: xiên¹
  - Sinological IPA: /siɛn⁴⁴/

Note:

Sixian:
- sîn - in 先生 (sîn-sâng).

Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: xie¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /ɕie¹¹/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: síng / sáing
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siŋ⁵⁴/, /saiŋ⁵⁴/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: sĕng / siĕng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛiŋ⁵⁵/, /sieŋ⁵⁵/

Note:

sĕng - vernacular;
siĕng - literary.

Puxian Min
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: se¹
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: sa̤ⁿ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬe⁵³³/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: siⁿ¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬĩ⁵³³/
- (Putian, Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: seng¹
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: seng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬɛŋ⁵³³/

Note:

se1/siⁿ1 - vernacular;
seng1 - literary.

Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: seng
  - Tâi-lô: sing
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sefng
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /siɪŋ⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Singapore): /seŋ⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Philippines)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: suiⁿ
  - Tâi-lô: suinn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: svuy
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Philippines): /suĩ³³/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Taichung, Yilan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sin
  - Tâi-lô: sin
  - Phofsit Daibuun: syn
  - IPA (Zhangzhou, Yilan): /sin⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sian
  - Tâi-lô: sian
  - Phofsit Daibuun: siefn
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /siɛn⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /siɛn³³/

Note:

seng/suiⁿ - vernacular;
sin - vernacular (limited, e.g. 先生);
sian - literary.

- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: soin¹ / sain¹ / sing¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: soiⁿ / saiⁿ / sing
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sõĩ³³/, /sãĩ³³/, /siŋ³³/

Note:

soin1/sain1 - vernacular (sain1 - Chaoyang, Jieyang);
sing1 - literary.

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹shi
  - MiniDict: shi^平
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xi
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕi⁵³/
- (Northern: Suzhou)
  - Wugniu: ¹sie
  - MiniDict: sie^平
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /sɪ⁴⁴/
- (Northern: Hangzhou)
  - Wugniu: ¹shien
  - MiniDict: shien^平
  - Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /ɕiẽ̞³³⁴/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: sienn¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /si̯ẽ³³/
  - Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /ɕi̯ẽ³³/

Dialectal data

Middle Chinese: sen

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*sˤər/

(Zhengzhang): /*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. [Pinyin]
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. [Jyutping]
I need to go to the bathroom first.

唔好去住先。 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]
m⁴ hou² heoi³ zyu⁶ sin¹. [Jyutping]
(For now) don't go.
first; preceding; prior
Antonym: 後 / 后 (hòu)

先聲／先声 ― xiānshēng ― herald; sign

領先／领先 ― lǐngxiān ― to be in the lead

先兩日／先两日 [Cantonese] ― sin¹ loeng⁵ jat⁶ [Jyutping] ― day before yesterday; two days ago
for the time being; for the moment
(colloquial) earlier on; before; at first
ancient
deceased; late
先父 ― xiānfù ― 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. [Jyutping]
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 [The Prince Near You]
ze² sin¹ giu³ sing⁴ zoeng² maa³ [Jyutping]
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? [Jyutping]
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. [Jyutping]
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. [Jyutping]
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! [Jyutping]
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):

More information Variety, Location ...

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		才₂, 再, 方, 始, 方才
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	才₂
Northeastern Mandarin	Singapore	才₂
Cantonese	Guangzhou	先, 至, 先至
Cantonese	Hong Kong	先, 至, 先至
Hakka	Meixian	正
Southern Min	Xiamen	才₃
	Quanzhou	才₃
	Zhangzhou	才₃
	Singapore (Hokkien)	才₃
	Manila (Hokkien)	才₃
	Shantou	正
	Singapore (Teochew)	正
Wu	Shanghai	再, 才₂
Wu	Suzhou	再
Xiang	Changsha	才至

Dialectal synonyms of 才 (“only after; only then; not ... until”) [map]

Compounds

一路領先 / 一路领先 (yīlùlǐngxiān)
一馬當先 / 一马当先 (yīmǎdāngxiān)
七代先靈 / 七代先灵
下江先生
也克先拜巴扎 (Yěkèxiān Bàibāzhā)
事先 (shìxiān)
五柳先生
亭林先生
佔先 / 占先 (zhànxiān)
儘先 / 尽先
優先 / 优先 (yōuxiān)
優先權 / 优先权 (yōuxiānquán)
先下手為強 / 先下手为强 (xiān xiàshǒu wéi qiáng)
先世 (xiānshì)
先主
先人 (xiānrén)
先人後己 / 先人后己
先令 (xiānlìng)
先來 / 先来
先例 (xiānlì)
先來後到 / 先来后到
先儒
先兆 (xiānzhào)
先兒 / 先儿
先入之見 / 先入之见 (xiānrùzhījiàn)
先入為主 / 先入为主 (xiānrùwéizhǔ)
先公後私 / 先公后私
先前 (xiānqián)
先務 / 先务
先卿
先古 (xiāngǔ)
先君 (xiānjūn)
先吾著鞭
先哲 (xiānzhé)
先嚴 / 先严
先塋 / 先茔
先天 (xiāntiān)
先夫 (xiānfū)
先天不足 (xiāntiānbùzú)
先天性 (xiāntiānxìng)
先天缺陷 (xiāntiān quēxiàn)
先天說 / 先天说
先妣 (xiānbǐ)
先妾
先室 (xiānshì)
先容
先導 / 先导 (xiāndǎo)
先帝 (xiāndì)
先師 / 先师 (xiānshī)
先年
先後 / 先后 (xiānhòu)
先後倒置 / 先后倒置
先從隗始 / 先从隗始
先德
先意希旨
先意承志
先意承旨
先慈 (xiāncí)
先憂後樂 / 先忧后乐
先手 (xiānshǒu)
先斬後奏 / 先斩后奏 (xiānzhǎnhòuzòu)
先斬後聞 / 先斩后闻
先施
先是 (xiānshì)
先時 / 先时 (xiānshí)
先期 (xiānqī)
先機 / 先机 (xiānjī)
先正
先母 (xiānmǔ)
先民 (xiānmín)
先決問題 / 先决问题
先決條件 / 先决条件 (xiānjué tiáojiàn)
先河 (xiānhé)
先澤 / 先泽
先烈 (xiānliè)
先父 (xiānfù)
先王 (xiānwáng)
先生 (xiānshēng)
先疇 / 先畴
先登
先發 / 先发 (xiānfā)
先發制人 / 先发制人 (xiānfāzhìrén)
先皇 (xiānhuáng)
先盛後衰 / 先盛后衰
先睹為快 / 先睹为快 (xiāndǔwéikuài)
先知 (xiānzhī)
先知先覺 / 先知先觉
先祀
先祖 (xiānzǔ)
先祖妣
先祖考
先禮後兵 / 先礼后兵 (xiānlǐhòubīng)
先秦 (xiānqín)
先秦諸子 / 先秦诸子
先策
先緒 / 先绪
先缺後空 / 先缺后空
先考 (xiānkǎo)
先聖 / 先圣 (xiānshèng)
先聲 / 先声 (xiānshēng)
先聲奪人 / 先声夺人 (xiānshēngduórén)
先聲後實 / 先声后实
先臣
先花後果 / 先花后果 (xiānhuāhòuguǒ)
先荊 / 先荆
先蠶 / 先蚕
先行 (xiānxíng)
先行官 (xiānxíngguān)
先行後聞 / 先行后闻
先見 / 先见 (xiānjiàn)
先見之明 / 先见之明 (xiānjiànzhīmíng)
先覺 / 先觉 (xiānjué)
先覺先知 / 先觉先知
先識 / 先识
先識遠量 / 先识远量
先議權 / 先议权
先賢 / 先贤 (xiānxián)
先走一步
先路
先輩 / 先辈 (xiānbèi)
先農 / 先农 (xiānnóng)
先進 / 先进 (xiānjìn)
先進國家 / 先进国家
先達 / 先达 (xiāndá)
先遣作戰 / 先遣作战
先遣部隊 / 先遣部队
先遣隊 / 先遣队
先鋒 / 先锋 (xiānfēng)
先鋒隊 / 先锋队 (xiānfēngduì)
先難後獲 / 先难后获
先零
先鞭
先頭 / 先头 (xiāntóu)
先頭部隊 / 先头部队
先馳得點 / 先驰得点
先驅 / 先驱 (xiānqū)
先驅者 / 先驱者 (xiānqūzhě)
先驅螻蟻 / 先驱蝼蚁
先驗主義 / 先验主义 (xiānyàn zhǔyì)
全真先生
最先 (zuìxiān)
冬烘先生
制敵機先 / 制敌机先
原先 (yuánxiān)
古聖先賢 / 古圣先贤
在先 (zàixiān)
地理先生
坌鳥先飛 / 坌鸟先飞 (bènniǎoxiānfēi)
大人先生
大先生
太老先生
夯雀先飛 / 夯雀先飞
奮勇爭先 / 奋勇争先
奮勇當先 / 奋勇当先
女先
女先生
好好先生
孝先便腹
守先待後 / 守先待后
小先生 (xiǎoxiānsheng)
巴先
幸為先容 / 幸为先容
廣文先生 / 广文先生
後先輝映 / 后先辉映
後實先聲 / 后实先声
後發先至 / 后发先至
從先 / 从先
得先手
德先生
急先鋒 / 急先锋 (jíxiānfēng)
恢先緒 / 恢先绪
恐後爭先 / 恐后争先 (kǒnghòuzhēngxiān)
意在筆先 / 意在笔先
意存筆先 / 意存笔先
承先啟後 / 承先启后 (chéngxiānqǐhòu)
探先
排先拜巴扎 (Páixiānbàibāzhā)
捷足先得
捷足先登 (jiézúxiāndēng)
搶先 / 抢先 (qiǎngxiān)
擁彗先驅 / 拥彗先驱
攙先 / 搀先
敢勇當先 / 敢勇当先
早先 (zǎoxiān)
有約在先 / 有约在先
有言在先 (yǒuyán zàixiān)
望秋先零
未卜先知 (wèibǔxiānzhī)
未老先衰 (wèilǎoxiānshuāi)
未風先雨 / 未风先雨
楮先生 (chǔxiānshēng)
機先 / 机先
比先
比先時 / 比先时
洞察機先 / 洞察机先
洞燭機先 / 洞烛机先
烏有先生 / 乌有先生
爭先 / 争先 (zhēngxiān)
爭先恐後 / 争先恐后 (zhēngxiānkǒnghòu)
猛著先鞭
率先 (shuàixiān)
甘井先竭 (gānjǐngxiānjié)
當先 / 当先 (dāngxiān)
疋先裡 / 疋先里
疾足先得
瞽目先生
祖先 (zǔxiān)
祖鞭先著
福為禍先 / 福为祸先
禍為福先 / 祸为福先
禮先壹飯 / 礼先壹饭
私塾先生
稷下先生
笨雀先飛 / 笨雀先飞
笨鳥先飛 / 笨鸟先飞 (bènniǎoxiānfēi)
算命先生 (suànmìng xiānsheng)
老先
老先生 (lǎoxiānshēng)
老祖先
至聖先師 / 至圣先师
荷葉先師 / 荷叶先师
著先鞭
負弩先驅 / 负弩先驱
賽先生 / 赛先生
起先 (qǐxiān)
身先士卒 (shēnxiānshìzú)
身先士眾 / 身先士众
躬先士卒
躬先表率
近火先燋
逐兔先得
道學先生 / 道学先生
遙遙領先 / 遥遥领先 (yáoyáolǐngxiān)
鄉先生 / 乡先生
鄉先達 / 乡先达
門館先生 / 门馆先生
開先例 / 开先例
開路先鋒 / 开路先锋
陳先 / 陈先 (Chénxiān)
陽明先生 / 阳明先生
非有先生
革命先烈
預先 / 预先 (yùxiān)
領先 / 领先 (lǐngxiān)
領先指標 / 领先指标
領先群倫 / 领先群伦
領先群雄 / 领先群雄
頭先 / 头先 (tóuxiān)
風水先生 / 风水先生 (fēngshuǐ xiānshēng)
首先 (shǒuxiān)
馬蓋先 / 马盖先

References

(Min Nan) “先”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

Pronunciation 2

More information Rime, Character ...

Rime
Character	先
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	先 (85)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	蘇佃切
Baxter	senH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sen^H/
Pan Wuyun	/sen^H/
Shao Rongfen	/sɛn^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/sɛn^H/
Li Rong	/sen^H/
Wang Li	/sien^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/sien^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sin³

More information Character, Reading # ...

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	先
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xiàn
Middle Chinese	‹ sen^H ›
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. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

More information Zhengzhang system (2003), Character ...

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/

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xiān, xiàn

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢ, ㄒㄧㄢˋ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiān
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: sian
  - Wade–Giles: hsien¹
  - Yale: syān
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shian
  - Palladius: сянь (sjanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: siàn
  - Wade–Giles: hsien⁴
  - Yale: syàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiann
  - Palladius: сянь (sjanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

Middle Chinese: senH

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*sˤər-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*sɯːns/

Definitions

先

(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to guide; to initiate
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to be earlier
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to surpass
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) originally
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to introduce
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) term of address for one's elder brother's wife

Pronunciation 3

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xiǎn (xian³)

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢˇ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiǎn
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: siǎn
  - Wade–Giles: hsien³
  - Yale: syǎn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shean
  - Palladius: сянь (sjanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn²¹⁴/

Definitions

先

Only used in 先馬／先马.

References

“先”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

先

Translingual

Han character

Derived characters

References

Chinese

Glyph origin

Etymology

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

Usage notes

Synonyms

Compounds

References

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

Pronunciation 3

Definitions

References

Japanese

Korean

Vietnamese

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