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 首先 shǒu xiān first (of all) / in the first place syn 格 gé square / frame / rule / (legal) case / style / character / standard / pattern / (grammar) case / (classical) to obstruct / to hinder / (classical) to arrive / to come / (classical) to investigate / to study exhaustively syn 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 命案 mìng àn homicide case / murder case syn 案情 àn qíng details of a case / case 杀人案 殺人案 shā rén àn murder case / homicide case syn 首选 首選 shǒu xuǎn first choice / premium / to come first in the imperial examinations 首发 首發 shǒu fā first issue / first public showing 首演 shǒu yǎn maiden stage role / first performance / first public showing 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 个案 個案 gè àn individual case / special case 初犯 chū fàn first offender / first offense 晨曦 chén xī first rays of morning sun / first glimmer of dawn syn 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 然则 然則 rán zé that being the case / then / in that case 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 先到 xiān dào first arrival / first return 第一眼 dì yī yǎn at first glance / at first sight 头道 頭道 tóu dào first time / first (round, course, coat of paint etc) 头一回 頭一回 tóu yī huí the first time / for the first time 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 多退少补 多退少補 duō tuì shǎo bǔ (after a sum has been paid in advance) to refund (in case of overpayment) or be reimbursed (in case of underpayment) 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 情事 qíng shì circumstances / facts (of a case) / case / feelings / love affair 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 就 jiù (after a suppositional clause) in that case / then / (after a clause of action) as soon as / immediately after / (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely / nothing else but / simply / just / precisely / exactly / only / as little as / as much as / as many as / to approach / to move towards / to undertake / to engage in / (often followed by 著|着[zhe5]) taking advantage of / (of food) to go with / with regard to / concerning / (pattern: 就[jiu4] ... 也[ye3] ...) even if ... still ... / (pattern: 不[bu4] ... 就[jiu4] ...) if not ... then must be ... syn 那 nà (specifier) that / the / those (colloquial pr. [nei4]) / (pronoun) that (referring to persons, things or situations) / then (in that case) syn 也 yě also / too / as well / (not ...) either / (used after a verbal or nominal expression X to indicate that X is an extreme or unexpected case) even (X) / (literary) particle having functions similar to 啊[a5] syn 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 如果 rú guǒ if / in case / in the event that syn 那么 那麼 nà me like that / in that way / or so / so / so very much / about / in that case syn 一起 yī qǐ (in) the same place / together / in company (with) / altogether / in total / an instance of / a case of (murder, accident, dispute etc) 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 起 qǐ to rise / to raise / to get up / to set out / to start / to appear / to launch / to initiate (action) / to draft / to establish / to get (from a depot or counter) / verb suffix, to start / starting from (a time, place, price etc) / classifier for occurrences or unpredictable events: case, instance / classifier for groups: batch, group 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 总 總 zǒng general / overall / to sum up / in every case / always / invariably / anyway / after all / eventually / sooner or later / surely / (after a person's name) abbr. for 總經理|总经理[zong3 jing1 li3] or 總編|总编[zong3 bian1] etc syn 案子 àn zi long table / counter / (coll.) case (criminal, medical etc) / matter / project / job syn 本来 本來 běn lái original / originally / at first / it goes without saying / of course syn 除非 chú fēi only if (..., or otherwise, ...) / only when / only in the case that / unless syn 原来 原來 yuán lái original / former / originally / formerly / at first / so, actually, as it turns out syn 一旦 yī dàn in case (sth happens) / if / once (sth happens, then...) / when / in a short time / in one day syn 既然 jì rán since / as / this being the case syn 反正 fǎn zhèng anyway / in any case / to come over from the enemy's side syn 便 biàn plain / informal / suitable / convenient / opportune / to urinate or defecate / equivalent to 就[jiu4]: then / in that case / even if / soon afterwards 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 案件 àn jiàn case / instance / CL:宗[zong1],樁|桩[zhuang1],起[qi3] syn 箱子 xiāng zi suitcase / chest / box / case / trunk / CL:隻|只[zhi1],個|个[ge4] syn 盒子 hé zi box / case / hezi – a savory turnover-like pie in northern Chinese and Mongolian cuisines 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) 无论如何 無論如何 wú lùn rú hé whatever the case / in any event / no matter what / by all possible means syn 谋杀案 謀殺案 móu shā àn murder case syn 万一 萬一 wàn yī just in case / if by any chance / contingency syn 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 经典 經典 jīng diǎn the classics / scriptures / classical / classic (example, case etc) / typical syn 见识 見識 jiàn shi to gain first-hand knowledge of sth / to experience for oneself / knowledge / experience / insight syn 典型 diǎn xíng model / typical case / archetype / typical / representative syn 原始 yuán shǐ first / original / primitive / original (document etc) syn 神经病 神經病 shén jīng bìng mental disorder / neuropathy / (derog.) mental case syn 处女 處女 chǔ nǚ virgin / maiden / maiden (voyage etc) / virgin (land) / (a novelist's) first (work) syn 例子 lì zi case / (for) instance / example / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 急救 jí jiù to give emergency treatment / first aid syn 结案 結案 jié àn to conclude a case / to wind up 头号 頭號 tóu hào first rate / top rank / number one syn 顶级 頂級 dǐng jí top-notch / first-rate syn 上诉 上訴 shàng sù to appeal (a judicial case) / appeal syn 目睹 mù dǔ to witness / to see at first hand / to see with one's own eyes syn 破案 pò àn to solve a case / shabby old table 病例 bìng lì (medical) case / occurrence of illness 凶杀案 兇殺案 xiōng shā àn murder case syn 罪案 zuì àn a criminal case 办案 辦案 bàn àn to handle a case 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 案例 àn lì case (of fraud, hepatitis, international cooperation etc) / instance / example / CL:個|个[ge4] 开张 開張 kāi zhāng to open a business / first transaction of a business day syn 病历 病歷 bìng lì medical record / case history syn 初恋 初戀 chū liàn first love 最先 zuì xiān (the) very first syn 弹壳 彈殼 dàn ké ammunition case syn 