先花後果

Chinese

		early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first	flower; blossom; to spend flower; blossom; to spend; fancy pattern	back; behind; rear back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later	fruit; result
trad. (先花後果)		先	花	後	果
simp. (先花后果)		先	花	后	果
Literally: “to blossom flowers first and bear fruits afterwards”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiānhuāhòuguǒ

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄏㄡˋ ㄍㄨㄛˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sin¹ faa¹ hau⁶ gwo²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiānhuāhòuguǒ
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄏㄡˋ ㄍㄨㄛˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sianhuahòuguǒ
    • Wade–Giles: hsien¹-hua¹-hou⁴-kuo³
    • Yale: syān-hwā-hòu-gwǒ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shianhuahowguoo
    • Palladius: сяньхуахоуго (sjanʹxuaxougo)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sin¹ faa¹ hau⁶ gwo²
    • Yale: sīn fā hauh gwó
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sin¹ faa¹ hau⁶ gwo²
    • Guangdong Romanization: xin¹ fa¹ heo⁶ guo²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːn⁵⁵ faː⁵⁵ hɐu̯²² kʷɔː³⁵/

Idiom

先花後果

1. (obsolete) to give birth to a girl first and then a boy

   • 生下三女一男：兒子名曰承祖，長女名玉英，次女名桃英，三女名月英。元來是先花後果的，倒是玉英居長，次即承祖。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     生下三女一男：儿子名曰承祖，长女名玉英，次女名桃英，三女名月英。元来是先花后果的，倒是玉英居长，次即承祖。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Feng Menglong, Stories to Awaken the World, 1627 CE

     Shēngxià sān nǚ yī nán: érzǐ míng yuē Chéngzǔ, chángnǚ míng Yùyīng, cìnǚ míng Táoyīng, sānnǚ míng Yuèyīng. Yuánlái shì xiānhuāhòuguǒ de, dǎoshì Yùyīng jū cháng, cì jí Chéngzǔ. [Pinyin]

     [She bore three daughters and one son.] The son was named Chengzu, the eldest daughter Yuying, the second daughter Taoying, and the third daughter Yueying. Yuying was the eldest of the four and Chengzu the son was the second.