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U+5148, 先
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5148

[U+5147]
CJK Unified Ideographs
[U+5149]

Translingual

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Stroke order
6 strokes

Han character

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(Kangxi radical 10, +4, 6 strokes, cangjie input 竹土竹山 (HGHU), four-corner 24211, composition 𠂒)

Derived characters

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References

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  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 124, character 5
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1349
  • Dae Jaweon: page 260, character 6
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 267, character 2
  • Unihan data for U+5148

Chinese

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simp. and trad.
Wikipedia has articles on:
  • (Written Standard Chinese?)
  • (Cantonese)

Glyph origin

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Historical forms of the character
Shang Western Zhou Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts



References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

  • Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
  • Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
  • Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
  • Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) : (foot) + (person) – to go forward.

Etymology

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Sino-Tibetan. Cognate with Tibetan བསེལ (bsel, to protect (on a dangerous path); to escort), Chepang स्‍यालःसा (syalʔ‑, to lead; to go or do first; to open way) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation 1

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Note:
  • Sixian:
    • sîn - in 先生 (sîn-sâng).
Note:
  • sĕng - vernacular;
  • siĕng - literary.
Note:
  • seng/suiⁿ - vernacular;
  • sin - vernacular (limited, e.g. 先生);
  • sian - literary.
Note:
  • soin1/sain1 - vernacular (sain1 - Chaoyang, Jieyang);
  • sing1 - literary.

  • Dialectal data
Variety Location
Mandarin Beijing /ɕian⁵⁵/
Harbin /ɕian⁴⁴/
Tianjin /t͡ɕʰian²¹/
/ɕian²¹/
Jinan /ɕiã²¹³/
Qingdao /siã²¹³/
Zhengzhou /sian²⁴/
Xi'an /ɕiã²¹/
Xining /ɕiã⁴⁴/
Yinchuan /ɕian⁴⁴/
Lanzhou /ɕiɛ̃n³¹/
Ürümqi /ɕian⁴⁴/
Wuhan /ɕiɛn⁵⁵/
Chengdu /ɕian⁵⁵/
Guiyang /ɕian⁵⁵/
Kunming /ɕiɛ̃⁴⁴/
Nanjing /sien³¹/
Hefei /ɕiĩ²¹/
/t͡ɕʰiĩ²¹/
Jin Taiyuan /ɕie¹¹/
Pingyao /ɕie̞¹³/
Hohhot /ɕie³¹/
Wu Shanghai /ɕi⁵³/
Suzhou /siɪ⁵⁵/
Hangzhou /ɕiẽ̞³³/
Wenzhou /ɕi³³/
Hui Shexian /se³¹/
Tunxi /siɛ¹¹/
Xiang Changsha /siẽ³³/
Xiangtan /siẽ³³/
Gan Nanchang /ɕiɛn⁴²/
Hakka Meixian /sian⁴⁴/
Taoyuan /sien²⁴/
Cantonese Guangzhou /sin⁵³/
Nanning /ɬin⁵⁵/
Hong Kong /sin⁵⁵/
Min Xiamen (Hokkien) /sian⁵⁵/
/siŋ⁵⁵/
Fuzhou (Eastern Min) /sɛiŋ⁴⁴/
Jian'ou (Northern Min) /siŋ⁵⁴/
Shantou (Teochew) /siŋ³³/
/sõi³³/
Haikou (Hainanese) /sin²³/
/ti²³/
/tai²³/

Rime
Character
Reading # 1/2
Initial () (16)
Final () (85)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division () IV
Fanqie
Baxter sen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/sen/
Pan
Wuyun
/sen/
Shao
Rongfen
/sɛn/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/sɛn/
Li
Rong
/sen/
Wang
Li
/sien/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/sien/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
xiān
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
sin1
BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 1/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
xiān
Middle
Chinese
‹ sen ›
Old
Chinese
/*sˁər/
English first

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
Reading # 1/2
No. 13458
Phonetic
component
Rime
group
Rime
subdivision
1
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese
/*sɯːn/

Definitions

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  1. first; ahead of time; before; beforehand
    洗手間 [MSC, trad.]
    洗手间 [MSC, simp.]
    Wǒ yào xiān qù xǐshǒujiān. [Pinyin]
    I need to go to the bathroom first.
    畢業毕业  ―  Tā bǐ wǒ xiān bìyè.  ―  He graduated earlier than me.
    廁所 [Cantonese, trad.]
    厕所 [Cantonese, simp.]
    ngo5 jiu3 heoi3 ci3 so2 sin1. [Jyutping]
    I need to go to the bathroom first.
    唔好 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]
    m4 hou2 heoi3 zyu6 sin1. [Jyutping]
    (For now) don't go.
  2. first; preceding; prior
    Antonym:  / (hòu)
      ―  xiānshēng  ―  herald; sign
      ―  lǐngxiān  ―  to be in the lead
    兩日两日 [Cantonese]  ―  sin1 loeng5 jat6 [Jyutping]  ―  day before yesterday; two days ago
  3. for the time being; for the moment
  4. (colloquial) earlier on; before; at first
  5. ancient
  6. deceased; late
      ―  xiān  ―  deceased father
  7. ancestor; forefather
      ―  xiān  ―  ancestor
  8. thing of utmost importance
  9. Short for 先生 (xiānshēng).
  10. Short for 先手 (xiānshǒu).
  11. (Cantonese) only then
    而家 [Cantonese, trad.]
    𰥛而家𰥛 [Cantonese, simp.]
    keoi5 fan3 dou3 ji4 gaa1 sin1 fan3 seng2 gaau3. [Jyutping]
    He slept so long that he only woke up just now.
    成長 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
    成长 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]
    From: 2020, 薛凱琪 [Fiona Sit], lyrics by 黃偉文 [Wyman Wong], 南昌街王子 [The Prince Near You]
    ze2 sin1 giu3 sing4 zoeng2 maa3 [Jyutping]
    Only then would this be called growing?
  12. (Cantonese) first off
    [Cantonese, trad.]
    [Cantonese, simp.]
    nei5 maai5 zo2 mei6 sin1? [Jyutping]
    First off, have you even bought it yet?
  13. (Cantonese) Used to emphasize that something is/is not.
    [Cantonese, trad.]
    [Cantonese, simp.]
    ngo5 sin1 m4 tung4 keoi5 gong2. [Jyutping]
    There's no way I'm going to tell them. / No, I am not going to tell them. / They are the last person I would tell.
    呢啲唱歌 [Cantonese, trad.]
    呢啲唱歌 [Cantonese, simp.]
    ni1 di1 sin1 hai6 coeng3 go1. [Jyutping]
    This is true singing.
    [Cantonese, trad.]
    [Cantonese, simp.]
    nei5 sin1 sik6 jat1 wun2 faan6 dim2 wui5 gau3! [Jyutping]
    How can you be full eating only one bowl of rice?
  14. a surname
Usage notes
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  • (first; beforehand): In Standard Mandarin, comes before the verb; in Cantonese, Teochew and Southeast Asian Mandarin, comes after the verb (and elements such as verb aspect and verb object).
Synonyms
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Compounds

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References

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Pronunciation 2

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Rime
Character
Reading # 2/2
Initial () (16)
Final () (85)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division () IV
Fanqie
Baxter senH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/senH/
Pan
Wuyun
/senH/
Shao
Rongfen
/sɛnH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/sɛnH/
Li
Rong
/senH/
Wang
Li
/sienH/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/sienH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
xiàn
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
sin3
BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 2/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
xiàn
Middle
Chinese
‹ senH ›
Old
Chinese
/*sˁər-s/
English go first

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
Reading # 2/2
No. 13467
Phonetic
component
Rime
group
Rime
subdivision
1
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese
/*sɯːns/

Definitions

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  1. to guide; to initiate
  2. to be earlier
  3. to surpass
  4. originally
  5. to introduce
  6. term of address for one's elder brother's wife

Pronunciation 3

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Definitions

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  1. Only used in 先馬先马.

References

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Japanese

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Kanji

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(First grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

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Compounds

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Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term
さき
Grade: 1
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling

From Old Japanese,[1][2] from Proto-Japonic *saki. Cognate with (saki, a (geographical) point, where the land sticks out into the water).[3]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(さき) (saki

  1. before, previous
    Synonym: 先に (saki ni, adverb)
    どっち(さき)か。
    Dotchi ga saki ka.
    Which one was first?
  2. end, tip
    ()(さき)
    ya no saki
    tip of an arrow
  3. earlier, the past
  4. afterwards, the future
  5. the destination of a motion or action
    送信(そうしん)(さき)
    sōshin-saki
    recipient
    バイト(さき)
    baito-saki
    workplace (of a part-time job)
    ()(さき)不明(ふめい)
    yuki-saki fumei
    whereabouts unknown
    (かえ)(さき)
    o-kaeri-saki
    place of return
  6. sequel
  7. ahead, in front
    その(さき)(もり)(おく)
    Sono saki wa mori no oku.
    What lies beyond there is the heart of the forest.
Derived terms
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Idioms
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Etymology 2

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Kanji in this term
さっき
Grade: 1
irregular
For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
さっき
[adverb] (colloquial) Synonym of 先ほど (sakihodo)
[adverb] a little time ago
[adverb] some time ago
[adverb] just now
(This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Etymology 3

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Kanji in this term
せん
Grade: 1
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese (MC sen|senH).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(せん) (sen

  1. before, previous
Derived terms
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References

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  1. ^ Omodaka, Hisataka (1967) 時代別国語大辞典 上代編 [The dictionary of historical Japanese: Old Japanese] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN, page 322
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 さき 【先・前】Paid subscription required”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
  3. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  4. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  5. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

Korean

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Etymology 1

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From Middle Chinese (MC sen).

Pronunciation

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Hanja

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Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

Wikisource

(eumhun 먼저 (meonjeo seon))

  1. Hanja form? of (first; foremost).
  2. Hanja form? of (former; previous).

Compounds

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Etymology 2

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Related to Middle Chinese (MC sejX).

Hanja

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(eumhun 전구(前驅) )

  1. (archaic) hanja form? of (to lead; to guide)

Compounds

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References

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  • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典. [3]

Vietnamese

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Han character

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: Hán Việt readings: tiên (()(tiền)(thiết))[1][2][3][4][5], tiến[5]
: Nôm readings: tiên[1][2][3][4][6], tên[1], ten[3], teng[3]

  1. Chữ Hán form of tiên (first; prior; before).

Compounds

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References

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