先 xiān beforehand / first / earlier / at first / originally / for the time being / for now / (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself) syn 生日 shēng rì birthday / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 首先 shǒu xiān first (of all) / in the first place syn 圣诞 聖誕 shèng dàn Christmas / birthday of reigning Emperor / Confucius' birthday 最初 zuì chū first / primary / initial / original / at first / initially / originally syn 初次 chū cì for the first time / first (meeting, attempt etc) syn 一大早 yī dà zǎo at dawn / at first light / first thing in the morning syn 满月 滿月 mǎn yuè full moon / whole month / baby's one-month old birthday syn 首选 首選 shǒu xuǎn first choice / premium / to come first in the imperial examinations 寿星 壽星 shòu xīng god of longevity / elderly person whose birthday is being celebrated syn 首发 首發 shǒu fā first issue / first public showing 首演 shǒu yǎn maiden stage role / first performance / first public showing 庆生 慶生 qìng shēng to celebrate a birthday 草拟 草擬 cǎo nǐ first draft / to draw up (a first version) syn 捷足先登 jié zú xiān dēng the quick-footed climb up first (idiom) / the early bird catches the worm / first come, first served syn 初犯 chū fàn first offender / first offense 千秋 qiān qiū a thousand years / your birthday (honorific) 晨曦 chén xī first rays of morning sun / first glimmer of dawn syn 周岁 週歲 zhōu suì one full year (e.g. on child's first birthday) 大副 dà fù first mate / first officer (of a ship) 初一 chū yī first day of lunar month / New Year's Day / first year in junior middle school syn 在先 zài xiān to come first / previous / prior / beforehand / first / formerly syn 破天荒 pò tiān huāng unprecedented / for the first time / never before / first ever syn 首次 shǒu cì first / first time / for the first time syn 教师节 教師節 jiào shī jié Teachers' Day (September 10th in PRC and Confucius's birthday, September 28th in Taiwan) 生辰 shēng chén birthday syn 祝寿 祝壽 zhù shòu to offer birthday congratulations (to an elderly person) syn 诞辰 誕辰 dàn chén birthday syn 争先 爭先 zhēng xiān to compete to be first / to contest first place syn 初露锋芒 初露鋒芒 chū lù fēng máng first sign of budding talent / to display one's ability for the first time 元年 yuán nián first year of an emperor's reign / first year of an era / first year of a significant time period 首例 shǒu lì first case / first instance 首季 shǒu jì first season / first quarter 一次 yī cì first / first time / once / (math.) linear (of degree one) 第一时间 第一時間 dì yī shí jiān in the first moments (of sth happening) / immediately (after an event) / first thing 生日快乐 生日快樂 shēng rì kuài lè Happy birthday 先到 xiān dào first arrival / first return 第一眼 dì yī yǎn at first glance / at first sight 过生日 過生日 guò shēng rì to celebrate a birthday syn 头道 頭道 tóu dào first time / first (round, course, coat of paint etc) 一丝不挂 一絲不掛 yī sī bù guà not wearing one thread (idiom) / absolutely naked / without a stitch of clothing / in one's birthday suit syn 生日蛋糕 shēng rì dàn gāo birthday cake 头一回 頭一回 tóu yī huí the first time / for the first time syn 华诞 華誕 huá dàn (formal) birthday / anniversary of the founding of an organization syn 寿辰 壽辰 shòu chén birthday (of an old person) syn 秦代 qín dài Qin dynasty (221-207 BC), founded by the first emperor Qin Shihuang 秦始皇[Qin2 Shi3 huang2], the first dynasty to rule the whole of China 拜寿 拜壽 bài shòu congratulate an elderly person on his birthday / offer birthday felicitations syn 寿桃 壽桃 shòu táo (myth.) peaches of immortality, kept by Xi Wangmu / fresh or confectionery peaches offered as a birthday gift 虚岁 虛歲 xū suì one's age, according to the traditional Chinese method of reckoning (i.e. the number of Chinese calendar years in which one has lived) – In this system, a person's age at birth is one, and increases by one at the beginning of the first solar term 立春[Li4 chun1] each year, rather than on one's birthday. / contrasted with 實歲|实岁[shi2 sui4] 祝 zhù to pray for / to wish (sb bon voyage, happy birthday etc) / person who invokes the spirits during sacrificial ceremonies syn 初 chū at first / (at the) beginning / first / junior / basic syn 甲 jiǎ first of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1] / (used for an unspecified person or thing) / first (in a list, as a party to a contract etc) / letter "A" or roman "I" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc / armor plating / shell or carapace / (of the fingers or toes) nail / bladed leather or metal armor (old) / ranking system used in the Imperial examinations (old) / civil administration unit in the baojia 保甲[bao3 jia3] system (old) / ancient Chinese compass point: 75° syn 寿 壽 shòu long life / old age / age / life / birthday / funerary syn 诞 誕 dàn birth / birthday / brag / boast / to increase 生日卡 shēng rì kǎ birthday card 做生日 zuò shēng rì to celebrate a birthday syn 寿礼 壽禮 shòu lǐ birthday present (for an old person) 做寿 做壽 zuò shòu to celebrate a birthday (of an elderly person) syn 初露头角 初露頭角 chū lù tóu jiǎo lit. to first show one's horns (idiom) / fig. a first show of emerging talent / first sign of emerging talent / budding genius 抓周 zhuā zhōu custom of placing a variety of articles (writing brush, abacus etc) before an infant on its first birthday to see which one he or she picks up (The article chosen is supposed to be an indication of the child's inclinations, future career etc.) 寿面 壽麵 shòu miàn birthday noodles (for longevity) 上 shàng (bound form) up / upper / above / previous / first (of multiple parts) / to climb / to get onto / to go up / to attend (class or university) / (directional complement) up / (noun suffix) on / above syn 行 háng row / line / commercial firm / line of business / profession / to rank (first, second etc) among one's siblings (by age) / (in data tables) row / (Tw) column syn 前 qián front / forward / ahead / first / top (followed by a number) / future / ago / before / BC (e.g. 前293年) / former / formerly syn 正 zhēng first month of the lunar year syn 第一 dì yī first / number one / primary syn 头 頭 tóu head / hair style / the top / end / beginning or end / a stub / remnant / chief / boss / side / aspect / first / leading / classifier for pigs or livestock / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 本来 本來 běn lái original / originally / at first / it goes without saying / of course syn 原来 原來 yuán lái original / former / originally / formerly / at first / so, actually, as it turns out syn 亲 親 qīn parent / one's own (flesh and blood) / relative / related / marriage / bride / close / intimate / in person / first-hand / in favor of / pro- / to kiss / (Internet slang) dear syn 元 yuán currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan) / (bound form) first / original / primary / (bound form) basic / fundamental / (bound form) constituent / part / (prefix) meta- / (math.) argument / variable / era (of a reign) / (Tw) (geology) eon syn 华盛顿 華盛頓 huá shèng dùn Washington (name) / George Washington (1732-1799), first US president / Washington, US State / Washington, D.C. (US federal capital) 沙发 沙發 shā fā sofa (loanword) / CL:條|条[tiao2],張|张[zhang1] / (Internet slang) the first reply or replier to a forum post 中尉 zhōng wèi lieutenant (navy) / first lieutenant (army) / subaltern 见识 見識 jiàn shi to gain first-hand knowledge of sth / to experience for oneself / knowledge / experience / insight syn 原始 yuán shǐ first / original / primitive / original (document etc) syn 处女 處女 chǔ nǚ virgin / maiden / maiden (voyage etc) / virgin (land) / (a novelist's) first (work) syn 急救 jí jiù to give emergency treatment / first aid syn 头号 頭號 tóu hào first rate / top rank / number one syn 顶级 頂級 dǐng jí top-notch / first-rate syn 目睹 mù dǔ to witness / to see at first hand / to see with one's own eyes syn 起初 qǐ chū originally / at first / at the outset syn 一级 一級 yī jí first class / category A 发起 發起 fā qǐ to originate / to initiate / to launch (an attack, an initiative etc) / to start / to propose sth (for the first time) syn 开张 開張 kāi zhāng to open a business / first transaction of a business day syn 初恋 初戀 chū liàn first love 最先 zuì xiān (the) very first syn 入学 入學 rù xué to enter a school or college / to go to school for the first time as a child 救护 救護 jiù hù to rescue / to administer first aid syn 一见钟情 一見鍾情 yī jiàn zhōng qíng to fall in love at first sight (idiom) syn 开价 開價 kāi jià to quote a price / seller's first offer syn 上好 shàng hǎo first-rate / top-notch syn 一月 yī yuè January / first month (of the lunar year) syn 结识 結識 jié shí to get to know sb / to meet sb for the first time syn 底层 底層 dǐ céng ground floor / first floor / lowest level / lowest rung (of society etc) syn 迈出 邁出 mài chū to step out / to take a (first) step syn 领头 領頭 lǐng tóu to take the lead / to be first to start syn 头等 頭等 tóu děng first class / prime / main syn 抢先 搶先 qiǎng xiān to rush (to do sth urgent) / to try to be the first / to forestall syn 夏娃 xià wá Eve, the first woman (transcription used in Protestant versions of the Bible) (from Hebrew Ḥawwāh, probably via Cantonese 夏娃 {Haa6waa1}) 