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首先

shǒu xiān
HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Adverb Very common

Definitions

  1. 1. first (of all)
  2. 2. in the first place

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Word relationships

Register variants

1 item
先
xiān

early

更口语化的同义词

Related words

1 item
然后
rán hòu

then; after that; afterwards

表示紧接着之后的步骤

Synonyms

1 item
最初
zuì chū

first

表示时间或顺序上最早的

Usage notes

Collocations

常用于书面语和正式演讲中，常与“其次”、“最后”等连用，构成“首先……其次……最后……”的框架。

Common mistakes

与“第一”的区别：在表示顺序时，“首先”常单独用于句首，而“第一”多用于列举排名。口语中“首先”显得更正式。

Grammar

Guides that feature 首先

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

2 guides
HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 7–9+ 6 min
空间顺序 and 逻辑顺序 for Organising a Paragraph

Organise a Chinese paragraph by space (walking the reader through a place) or by logic (first, second, finally; in short).

Reading: shǒu xiān Open guide
HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min
首先...，其次... and 首先...，然后... for “First … Second / Then …”

Use 首先 to open a list, 其次 for the second most important point, and 然后 for the next step in time.

Reading: shǒu xiān Open guide

Example Sentences

3 shown
首先 ，我没时间；其次，我没钱。
Firstly, I don't have time; secondly, I don't have money.
学习新技能时， 首先 要掌握基本要领。
When learning a new skill, you must first grasp the basic essentials.
首先 我們必須處理這個問題。
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 343117)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 首先

不首先使用
bù shǒu xiān shǐ yòng

no first use (policy for nuclear weapons)

Child Words of 首先

先
xiān

early

首
shǒu

head