先 xiān
adverb
: first
: former, previous
Kun Reading
先 | さき saki
noun | no-adjective | noun suffix | prefix
: previous; prior; former; some time ago; preceding
: point (e.g. pencil); tip; end; nozzle
: head (of a line); front
: ahead; the other side
: the future; hereafter
: destination
: the other party
先に | さきに sakini
adverb | noun
: before; earlier than; ahead; beyond; away; previously; recently
先んじる | さきんじる sakinjiru
ichidan verb | intransitive verb
: to precede; to forestall; to anticipate
先 | まず mazu
adverb
: (Usually written using kana alone) first (of all); to start with; about; almost; anyway; well; now
: hardly (with neg. verb)
On Reading
先 | せん sen
no-adjective | noun
: former; previous; old
: first move (in go, shogi, etc.); opening move
先生 xian1sheng: teacher; husband; doctor (dialect); Mister (Mr.)
[せんせい sensei: teacher; master; doctor
: (Suffix) with names of teachers, etc. as an honorific]
先進[进] xian1jin4: advanced (technology); to advance
[先進 | せんしん senshi: seniority; advance; leadership]
先後[后] xian1hou4: early or late; priority; in succession; one after another
先驅[驱] xian1qu1: pioneer
先鋒[锋] xian1feng1: vanguard; pioneer
[先鋒 | せんぽう senbou: advance guard; vanguard]
首先 shou3xian1: first (of all); in the first place
事先 shi4xian1: in advance; before the event; beforehand; prior
原先 yuan2xian1: former; original
祖先 zu3xian1: ancestor; forebears [そせん sosen: ancestor]
預[预]先 yu4xian1: beforehand; in advance
Japanese common word | expression | yojijukugo 四字熟語 | idiom | proverb
その先 | そのさき sonosaki
: beyond that point; after that
鼻の先 | はなのさき hana no saki
: in front of your nose; right next to you
: tip of one’s nose
*先決問題 | せんけつもんだい senketsu mondai
: (yoji) question to be settled first
先憂後楽 | せんゆうこうらく senyuu kouraku
: (yoji) hardship now, pleasure later; seeking pleasure only after dealing with difficulties; seeking pleasure only after the happiness of the people is assured (a precept to be observed by a ruler)
先手必勝 | せんてひっしょう sente hisshou
: (yoji) victory goes to the one who makes the first move; being quick to take action leads to victory; the early bird gets the worm
先輩後輩 | せんぱいこうはい senpai kouhai
: one’s seniors and juniors
: seniority-based hierarchy
担任の先生 | たんにんのせんせい tannin no sensei
: class teacher; homeroom teacher; form teacher
一寸先は闇 | いっすんさきはやみ issun saki wa yami
: (expression) No one knows what the future holds. The future is a closed book
率先垂範 | そっせんすいはん sossen suihan
: (yoji) set an example worth following; take the initiative in doing something thereby setting an example for others to follow
率先躬行 | そっせんきゅうこう sossen kyuukou
: (yoji) taking a lead in (doing); setting an example of (doing)
行く先先 | ゆくさきざき yuku sakizaki OR いくさきざき iku sakizaki
: (expression) everywhere; everywhere one goes; wherever one goes
舌先三分 | したさきさんぶ shita saki sanbu
: (yoji) a glib tongue (with fair words); fluent talk designed to deceive; talk something away
転ばぬ先の杖 | ころばぬさきのつえ korobanu saki no tsue
: (expression) prevention is better than cure; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; look before you leap; forewarned is forearmed; a stitch in time saves nine; have a walking stick ready before stumbling
お先に失礼します | おさきにしつれいします osaki ni shitsurei shimasu
: (expression) pardon me for leaving (first) (used when leaving a workplace while others remain)
将を射んと欲すれば先ず馬を射よ | しょうをいんとほっすればまずうまをいよ shou o in to hossureba mazu uma o iyo
: (proverb) He that would the daughter win, must with the mother first begin
後悔先に立たず | こうかいさきにたたず koukai sakini tatazu
: (idiom) It is no use crying over spilled milk
先のことは分からない | さきのことはわからない saki no koto wa wakaranai
: (expression) one never knows (what will happen); there’s no telling (what the future holds)
Chinese expression | chengyu 成語 | idiom
*先決問題 [先决问题] xian1 jue2 wen4 ti2
: preliminary question; priority problem; issues requiring more immediate attention
後進先出 [后进先出] hou4 jin4 xian1 chu1
: to come late and leave first; last in, first out (LIFO)
笨鳥先飛 [笨鸟先飞] ben4 niao3 xian1 fei1
: lit. the clumsy bird flies early; fig. to work hard to compensate for one’s limited abilities
先下手為強 [先下手为强] xian1 xia4 shou3 wei2 qiang2
: strike first and gain the upper hand (martial arts term); Making the first move is an advantage.
工欲善其事，必先利其器 gong1 yu4 shan4 qi2 shi4 , bi4 xian1 li4 qi2 qi4
: To do a good job, an artisan needs the best tools. Good tools are prerequisite to the successful execution of a job
兵馬未動，糧草先行 [兵马未动，粮草先行] bing1 ma3 wei4 dong4 , liang2 cao3 xian1 xing2
: before the troops move, fodder and provisions go first; logistics comes before military maneuvers; an army marches on its stomach
春江水暖鴨先知 [春江水暖鸭先知] chun1 jiang1 shui3 nuan3 ya1 xian1 zhi1
: lit. the duck is the first to know if the spring water is warm; fig. an expert in the field knows which way the wind blows
近水樓臺先得月 [近水楼台先得月] jin4 shui3 lou2 tai2 xian1 de2 yue4
: the pavilion closest to the water enjoys moonlight first; to benefit from intimacy with an influential person
会意 Associative Compound.
A person walking ahead 止 (zhi3: stop)
of another 儿 (er2: son, child radical 10)
Look-alike:
天 tian1
: day; sky
[kun: あま ama, あめ ame. on: てん ten]
矢 shi3
: arrow; dart
[kun: や ya, やがら yagara, やじり yajiri. on: シ shi]
失 shi1
: to lose, to miss, to fail
[kun: うせる useru, うせろ usero, うしなう ushinau, なくす nakusu. on: しつ shitsu, itsu]
夫 fu1 | fu2
: husband; man
: (classical) this, that, he, she, they
[kun: つま tsuma; おっと otto, それ sore. on: フ fu, フウ fuu, ブ bu]
禾 he2
: grain; cereal; radical 115
[kun: いね ine, のぎへん nogihen. on: カ ka]
朱 zhu1
: vermillion | cinnabar
[あか aka, あけ ake, あかい akai. on: しゅ shu]
先 xian1
: first; former; previous
[kun: さき saki, さきに sakini, さきんじる sakinjiru, まず mazu. on: せん sen]
Examples:
この先の丸くなった鉛筆では書けない。
このさきのまるくなったえんぴつではかけない kono saku no marukunatta enpitsu de wa kakenai
I can’t write with this dull pencil.
巴洛克先生 (Mr. Baroque [Bach]) feat. 王力宏 on strings – JJ Lin 林俊杰
One Shot feat. 王力宏 on strings – JJ Lin 林俊杰
credit: JJ Lin 林俊杰
Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary
