先河

Chinese

		early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first	river
simp. and trad. (先河)		先	河

Etymology

From the Book of Rites, Book 18 (《禮記·學記》):

三王之祭川也，皆先河而後海，或源也，或委也，此之謂務本。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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三王之祭川也，皆先河而后海，或源也，或委也，此之谓务本。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Sānwáng zhī jì chuān yě, jiē xiān hé ér hòu hǎi, huò yuán yě, huò wěi yě, cǐ zhī wèi wùběn. [Pinyin]

When the three sovereigns sacrificed to the waters, they did so first to the rivers and then to the seas; first to the source and then to its result. This was what is called "Paying attention to the root".

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiānhé

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢ ㄏㄜˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sin¹ ho⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiānhé
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢ ㄏㄜˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sianhé
    • Wade–Giles: hsien¹-ho²
    • Yale: syān-hé
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shianher
    • Palladius: сяньхэ (sjanʹxɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sin¹ ho⁴
    • Yale: sīn hòh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sin¹ ho⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: xin¹ ho⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːn⁵⁵ hɔː²¹/

Noun

先河

1. (figurative) origin of things; precursor; forerunner