先前

Chinese

		early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first	front, forepart; in front; past front, forepart; in front; past; former; previous; last; before; preceding; earlier; ago; future; time ahead; first; top; battlefront; to move forward
trad. (先前)		先	前
simp. ^#(先前)		先	前

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xiānqián

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢㄑㄧㄢˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): sin¹ cin⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): siên-chhièn

(Meixian, Guangdong): xiên¹ qiên²
Northern Min (KCR): sáing-chîng
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): sian-chiân
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹shi-zhi
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): sienn¹ zienn²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiānqián
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢㄑㄧㄢˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: siancián
  - Wade–Giles: hsien¹-chʻien²
  - Yale: syān-chyán
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shianchyan
  - Palladius: сяньцянь (sjanʹcjanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: sin¹ cin⁴
  - Yale: sīn chìhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: sin¹ tsin⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: xin¹ qin⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰiːn²¹/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: siên-chhièn
  - Hakka Romanization System: xien^ˊ qien^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: xian¹ qian²
  - Sinological IPA: /si̯en²⁴ t͡sʰi̯en¹¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: xiên¹ qiên²
  - Sinological IPA: /siɛn⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰiɛn¹¹/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sáing-chîng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /saiŋ⁵⁴ t͡sʰiŋ³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sian-chiân
  - Tâi-lô: sian-tsiân
  - Phofsit Daibuun: siencieen
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /siɛn³³ t͡siɛn²⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /siɛn⁴⁴⁻²² t͡siɛn²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /siɛn⁴⁴⁻²² t͡siɛn¹³/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹shi-zhi
  - MiniDict: shi^平 zhi
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xi-xxi
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕi⁵⁵ ʑi²¹/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: sienn¹ zienn²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /si̯ẽ³³ t͡si̯ẽ¹³/
  - Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /ɕi̯ẽ³³ t͡ɕi̯ẽ¹³/

Adverb

先前

before; previously
(Wu) originally

Synonyms

(before):

edit

上早 (Hakka)
以前 (yǐqián)
先行 (xiānxíng) (literary)
其先 (qíxiān) (literary)
前往 (qiánwǎng) (literary)
原在 (Hakka)
古者 (gǔzhě) (archaic)
向來 / 向来 (xiànglái) (archaic)
嘗 / 尝 (cháng) (literary, or used in compounds)
在前 (zàiqián)
家先 (Hakka)
往擺 / 往摆 (Hakka, Hokkien)
往擺仔 / 往摆仔 (Hokkien)
往者 (wǎngzhě) (literary)
往過 / 往过 (Hokkien)
往過仔 / 往过仔 (Hokkien)
從前 / 从前 (cóngqián)
早先 (zǎoxiān)
早年所 (Hokkien)
早時 / 早时 (Hokkien)
昔日 (xīrì) (literary)
昔時 / 昔时 (xīshí) (literary)
曾
曾經 / 曾经 (céngjīng)
當初 / 当初 (dāngchū)
舊擺 / 旧摆 (Singapore Hokkien)
舊早 / 旧早 (Singapore Hokkien)
過前 / 过前 (Hainanese)

(originally):

edit

一插手兒 / 一插手儿 (yīchāshǒur) (Beijing Mandarin)
一開始 / 一开始 (yīkāishǐ)
上頭仔 / 上头仔 (Hokkien)
乍出猛兒 / 乍出猛儿 (zhàchūměngr) (Beijing Mandarin)
先起頭 / 先起头 (Wu)
先頭 / 先头 (Wu)
最初 (zuìchū)
初初 (co¹ co¹) (Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien)
劈頭 / 劈头 (pītóu)
原 (yuán)
原來 / 原来 (yuánlái)
原先 (yuánxiān)
原初 (yuánchū)
原底 (Hokkien, chiefly Cantonese, Teochew, chiefly Cantonese)
原旦 (Hakka)
原本 (yuánběn)
原本榻裡 / 原本榻里 (⁶gnioe-pen-thaq-li) (Wu)
在本 (Hokkien)
始初 (shǐchū) (literary)
寢頭 / 寝头 (Hokkien)
就跟兒 / 就跟儿 (jiùgēnr) (Beijing Mandarin)
早先 (⁵tsau-shi) (Wu)
本來 / 本来 (běnlái)
本則來 / 本则来 (⁵pen-tseq-le) (Wu)
本底 (Hokkien)
本底子 (⁵pen-ti-tsy) (Wu)
本成 (Hokkien)
本然 (Hokkien)
本生 (⁵pen-san) (Wu)
當初 / 当初 (dāngchū)
當初時 / 当初时 (Hokkien)
當原初 / 当原初 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
自本 (Hokkien)
舊底 / 旧底 (Hokkien)
起先 (qǐxiān)
起初 (qǐchū)
起始 (qǐshǐ)
起手 (qǐshǒu)
起頭 / 起头 (qǐtóu)
起首 (qǐshǒu) (literary, or Guangzhou Cantonese)
開先 / 开先 (kai¹ sienn¹) (Xiang)
開初 / 开初 (kāichū)
頭仔 / 头仔 (Hokkien)
頭起先 / 头起先 (Hokkien)
頭頭 / 头头 (Cantonese, Eastern Min, Hokkien)