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 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 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 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 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) 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 六艺 六藝 liù yì the Confucian Six Arts, namely: rites or etiquette 禮|礼[li3] (禮儀|礼仪[li3 yi2]), music 樂|乐[yue3] (音樂|音乐[yin1 yue4]), archery 射[she4] (射箭[she4 jian4]), charioteering 御[yu4] (駕車|驾车[jia4 che1]), calligraphy or literacy 書|书[shu1] (識字|识字[shi2 zi4]), mathematics or reckoning 數|数[shu4] (計算|计算[ji4 suan4]) / another name for the Six Classics 六經|六经[Liu4 jing1] 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 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 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}) 起先 qǐ xiān at first / in the beginning syn 带头 帶頭 dài tóu to take the lead / to be the first / to set an example syn 多利 duō lì Dolly (1996-2003), female sheep, first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell 甲子 jiǎ zǐ first year of the sixty-year cycle (where each year is numbered with one of the 10 heavenly stems 天干[tian1 gan1] and one of the 12 earthly branches 地支[di4 zhi1]) / the sixty-year cycle 曙光 shǔ guāng the first light of dawn / (fig.) glimmer of hope after a dark period / a new beginning syn 涉足 shè zú to set foot in / to step into / to become involved for the first time syn 优良 優良 yōu liáng fine / good / first-rate syn 首映 shǒu yìng to premiere (a movie or TV show) / premiere (of a movie) / first-run (movie) / to greet (the eye) before anything else (e.g. when entering a room) 先后 先後 xiān hòu early or late / first and last / priority / in succession / one after another syn 一等 yī děng first class / grade A syn 其一 qí yī one of the given (options etc) / the first / firstly syn 人称 人稱 rén chēng person (first person, second person etc in grammar) / called / known as 趁早 chèn zǎo as soon as possible / at the first opportunity / the sooner the better / before it's too late syn 先发制人 先發制人 xiān fā zhì rén (idiom) to gain the initiative by striking first / to preempt syn 一世 yī shì generation / period of 30 years / one's whole lifetime / lifelong / age / era / times / the whole world / the First (of numbered European kings) syn 始作俑者 shǐ zuò yǒng zhě lit. the first person to make funerary figurines (idiom) / fig. the originator of an evil practice 第一手 dì yī shǒu first-hand syn 前段 qián duàn front part (of an object) / first part (of an event) / previous paragraph 起价 起價 qǐ jià initial price (e.g. for the first kilometer) / prices starting from 前兆 qián zhào omen / prior indication / first sign syn 不堪一击 不堪一擊 bù kān yī jī to be unable to withstand a single blow / to collapse at the first blow syn 字样 字樣 zì yàng model or template character / written slogan or phrase / mention (e.g. "air mail" 航空 on a letter, "first draft" 初稿 on a document etc) syn 一针见血 一針見血 yī zhēn jiàn xiě lit. to draw blood on the first prick (idiom) / fig. to hit the nail on the head syn 寡人 guǎ rén I (first person pronoun used by royalty or nobility) syn 清早 qīng zǎo first thing in the morning / at daybreak syn 头彩 頭彩 tóu cǎi first prize in a lottery syn 苗头 苗頭 miáo tou first signs / development (of a situation) syn 