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 经 經 jīng classics / sacred book / scripture / to pass through / to undergo / to bear / to endure / warp (textile) / longitude / menstruation / channel (TCM) / abbr. for economics 經濟|经济[jing1 ji4] syn 频道 頻道 pín dào frequency / (television) channel syn 通道 tōng dào (communications) channel / thoroughfare / passage syn 最初 zuì chū first / primary / initial / original / at first / initially / originally syn 管道 guǎn dào tubing / pipeline / (fig.) channel / means 途径 途徑 tú jìng way / means / channel 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 渠道 qú dào irrigation ditch / (fig.) channel / means syn 灌输 灌輸 guàn shū to imbue with / to inculcate / to instill into / to teach / to impart / to channel water to another place syn 航道 háng dào waterway / ship channel 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 海峡 海峽 hǎi xiá strait / channel 首演 shǒu yǎn maiden stage role / first performance / first public showing 纳入 納入 nà rù to bring into / to channel into / to integrate into / to incorporate 阴沟 陰溝 yīn gōu sewer / underground drainage channel syn 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 泽西 澤西 zé xī Jersey (Channel Islands) 闭合 閉合 bì hé to close by coming together (like the lips of a wound, the doors of an elevator, the walls of a channel) / to close by connecting in a loop (like a circuit) / closed-loop syn 初犯 chū fàn first offender / first offense 沟渠 溝渠 gōu qú channel / moat / irrigation canal syn 导入 導入 dǎo rù to introduce into / to channel / to lead / to guide into / to import (data) 晨曦 chén xī first rays of morning sun / first glimmer of dawn syn 通路 tōng lù thoroughfare / passage / pathway / channel syn 信道 xìn dào (telecommunications) channel / (in Confucian texts) to believe in the principles of wisdom and follow them 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 河道 hé dào river course / river channel syn 在先 zài xiān to come first / previous / prior / beforehand / first / formerly syn 英吉利海峡 英吉利海峽 yīng jí lì hǎi xiá English Channel 声道 聲道 shēng dào sound track / audio channel 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 航标 航標 háng biāo buoy / channel marker / signal light 经脉 經脈 jīng mài channel of TCM syn 调拨 調撥 diào bō to send (products) / to allocate / to commit (funds) / to channel (goods) 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 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) 引水 yǐn shuǐ to pilot a ship / to channel water / to draw water (for irrigation) syn 头一回 頭一回 tóu yī huí the first time / for the first time syn 转台 轉台 zhuǎn tái to change the channel (TV) 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 明渠 míng qú (open, uncovered) water channel / canal 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 槽 cáo trough / manger / groove / channel / (Tw) (computing) hard drive syn 海峡群岛 海峽群島 hǎi xiá qún dǎo Channel Islands 主航道 zhǔ háng dào main channel 引河 yǐn hé irrigation channel 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 暗渠 àn qú underground water channel / covered ditch / culvert 航标灯 航標燈 háng biāo dēng lighted buoy / channel marking light / signal light 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 