先
Meanings
- beforehand; first; earlier
- at first; originally
- for the time being; for now
- (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)
Characters in this entry
- 先
- xiān · first, former, previous
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1 · xian1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Sentences in context
Exact source-spelling matches. Open the reader for dictionary lookups, construction notes and related examples. Occurrence does not establish a particular dictionary sense.
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 21 senses · 2 Cantonese readings
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
sin1 · sin3
Cantonese word readings for 先. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character
- first; ahead of time; before; beforehand
- first; preceding; prior
- for the time being; for the moment
- (colloquial) earlier on; before; at first
- ancient
- deceased; late
- ancestor; forefather
- thing of utmost importance
- (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 先生 (xiānshēng)
- (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 先手 (xiānshǒu)
- (Cantonese) only then
- (Cantonese) first off
- (Cantonese) Used to emphasize that something is/is not.
- a surname
character
- to guide; to initiate
- to be earlier
- to surpass
- originally
- to introduce
- term of address for one's elder brother's wife
character
- only used in 先馬／先马
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack