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Dictionary
HSK 3
先

HSK 3adverb

先

xiān

先 (xiān) means “early; prior; former; in advance; first”. It is an HSK 3 Chinese character in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

Stroke order

Practice writingUnlock HSK 3 required

Example

你先走吧。

Nǐ xiān zǒu ba.

You go first.

Words containing 先

先生xiān shengteacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.); husband; (dialect) doctor 首先shǒu xiānfirst (of all); in the first place 事先shì xiānin advance; before the event; beforehand; prior 领先lǐng xiānto lead; to be in front 先进xiān jìnadvanced (technology); to advance 先前xiān qiánbefore; previously 优先yōu xiānto have priority; to take precedence 预先yù xiānbeforehand; in advance 原先yuán xiānoriginally; original; former 争先恐后zhēng xiān kǒng hòu(idiom) to compete to be first; to scramble to get ahead; to rush forward for fear of falling behind 祖先zǔ xiānancestors; forebears; (biology) ancestral species; ancient species from which present-day species evolved 先后xiān hòuearly or late; priority; in succession; one after another

More HSK 3 vocabulary

阿姨ā yímaternal aunt; step-mother; childcare worker; nursemaid; woman of similar age to one's parents (term of address used by child)啊āinterjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh!矮ǎilow; short (in length)爱好ài hàoto like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby 安静ān jìngquiet; peaceful; calm 把bǎto hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the object before the verb: 把 + {noun} + {verb})班bānsurname Ban 搬bānto move (i.e. relocate oneself); to move (sth relatively heavy or bulky); to shift; to copy indiscriminately 办法bàn fǎmeans; method; way (of doing sth)办公室bàn gōng shìoffice; business premises; bureau 半bànhalf; semi-; incomplete; (after a number) and a half 帮忙bāng mángto help; to lend a hand; to do a favor; to do a good turn

Frequently asked questions

What does 先 mean?: 先 (xiān) means “early; prior; former; in advance; first”. It is an HSK 3 word.
How is 先 pronounced?: 先 is pronounced “xiān” in pinyin.
What HSK level is 先?: 先 belongs to HSK 3 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
How do you write 先?: Follow the stroke-order animation above; 先 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

Updated: 2026-05-27