xiān
Pinyin

Definition

 - 
xiān
  1. early
  2. prior
  3. former
  4. in advance
  5. first

Character Decomposition

Compounds (13)

xuǎn
  1. 1 to choose
  2. 2 to pick
  3. 3 to select
  4. 4 to elect
  1. 1 to wash
  2. 2 to bathe
  3. 3 to develop (photo)
xiàn
  1. 1 statute
  2. 2 constitution
xiān
  1. 1 acid radical
  2. 2 -acyl (chemistry)
shēn
  1. 1 to inform
  2. 2 to inquire

Related Words (20)

xiān
  1. 1 early
  2. 2 prior
  3. 3 former
  4. 4 in advance
  5. 5 first
Xiān sheng
  1. 1 Mister (Mr.)
shì xiān
  1. 1 in advance
  2. 2 before the event
  3. 3 beforehand
  4. 4 prior
yōu xiān
  1. 1 to have priority
  2. 2 to take precedence
xiān hòu
  1. 1 early or late
  2. 2 priority
  3. 3 in succession
  4. 4 one after another

Idioms (18)

先下手为强
xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng
  1. 1 strike first and gain the upper hand (idiom, martial arts term); Making the first move is an advantage.
先斩后奏
xiān zhǎn hòu zòu
  1. 1 first decapitate then present your trophy (idiom); act first, report later
先发制人
xiān fā zhì rén
  1. 1 to gain the initiative by striking first (idiom); to preempt
  2. 2 to anticipate
  3. 3 preemptive
先睹为快
xiān dǔ wéi kuài
  1. 1 joy of first experience (idiom)
  2. 2 the pleasure of reading sth for the first time
先礼后兵
xiān lǐ hòu bīng
  1. 1 peaceful measures before using force (idiom); diplomacy before violence
  2. 2 jaw-jaw is better than war-war

Sample Sentences

我先生今儿出门儿的时候,说要和大学同学聚餐,我总觉得不对劲儿,一定有事儿,就打电话问了一个熟人,他就露馅儿了,我压根儿没想到他会这样骗我。
wǒ xiānsheng jīnr chūméner de shíhou ,shuō yào hé dàxué tóngxué jùcān ,wǒ zǒng juéde bùduìjìnr ,yīdìng yǒu shìr ,jiù dǎdiànhuà wèn le yīgē shúrén ,tā jiù lòuxiànr le ,wǒ yàgēnr méixiǎngdào tā huì zhèyàng piàn wǒ 。
When my husband went out today and said he was going to have dinner with his college friends, I couldn’t help feeling that something was wrong. I called an acquaintance and he gave my husband away. I had no idea he would lie to me like that.
Go to Lesson 
先生
xiānsheng
Mr.
Go to Lesson 
很多老一辈的中国人喜欢听相声,尤其是郭德纲先生的。说起郭德纲,他不只相声厉害,还熟悉各种戏曲,所以很多人想成为他的学生呢。
hěnduō lǎoyībèi de Zhōngguó rén xǐhuan tīng xiàngsheng ,yóuqí shì Guōdégāng xiānsheng de 。shuōqǐ Guōdégāng ,tā bù zhǐ xiàngsheng lìhai ,hái shúxī gèzhǒng xìqǔ ,suǒyǐ hěnduō rén xiǎng chéngwéi tā de xuésheng ne 。
Many older Chinese like to listen to cross talk, especially Mr. Guo Degang’s. Speaking of Guo Degang, he is not only good at cross talk, but also familiar with various operas, so many people want to be his students.
Go to Lesson 
差不多先生的名字,天天挂在大家的口头,因为他是中国全国人的代表。
chàbuduō xiānsheng de míngzi ,tiāntiān guà zài dàjiā de kǒutóu ,yīnwèi tā shì Zhōngguó quánguó rén de dàibiǎo 。
Every day, Mr. Chabuduo's name is uttered by countless people to the extent that he has come to represent the entire population of China.
差不多先生的相貌和你和我都差不多。他有一双眼睛,但看的不很清楚;有两只耳朵,但听的不很分明;有鼻子和嘴,但他对于气味和口味都不很讲究。
chàbuduō xiānsheng de xiàngmào hé nǐ hé wǒ dōu chàbuduō 。tā yǒu yī shuāng yǎnjing ,dàn kàn de bù hěn qīngchu ;yǒu liǎng zhǐ ěrduo ,dàn tīng de bù hěn fēnmíng ;yǒu bízi hé zuǐ ,dàn tā duìyú qìwèi hé kǒuwèi dōu bù hěn jiǎngjiu 。
Mr. Chabuduo’s appearance resembles yours and mine. He has two eyes - but does not see things very clearly. He has two ears - but they don't listen very well. He has a nose and a mouth, but does not distinguish much between different smells and tastes.
先生说,“错了。是山西,不是陕西。”他说:“陕西同山西,不是差不多吗?”
xiānsheng shuō ,“cuò le 。shì Shānxī ,búshi Shǎnxī 。”tā shuō :“Shǎnxī tóng Shānxī ,búshi chàbuduō ma ?”
“Wrong!” the teacher corrected him. “It is Shanxi not Shaanxi.” Mr. Chabuduo said, “Well aren't Shanxi and Shaanxi just about the same?"
他在学堂的时候,先生问他:“直隶省的西边是哪一省?”他说是陕西。
tā zài xuétáng de shíhou ,xiānsheng wèn tā :“zhílìshěng de xībiān shì něi yī shěng ?”tā shuō shì Shǎnxī 。
Once, while attending school, a teacher asked him which province was located on the western border of Hebei. He said it was Shaanxi.
我认为李先生不怎么合适,我比较喜欢张小姐。
wǒ rènwéi Lǐ xiānsheng bùzěnme héshì ,wǒ bǐjiào xǐhuan Zhāng xiǎojie 。
I don’t think Mr. Lee is that suitable for the role. I prefer Ms. Chang.
Go to Lesson 
我先干为敬。
wǒ xiān gān wèi jìng 。
I will bottoms up to show my respect for you.
Go to Lesson 
您先用、您先用。
nín xiān yòng 、nín xiān yòng 。
Please go first.
Go to Lesson