Vietnamese

Proper noun

Tiên

1. A female given name

Vietnamese

Adverb

tiên

1. (only in fixed Sino-Vietnamese expressions) first

   Tiên học lễ, hậu học văn.

   One must learn manners first; education comes later.

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 仙 , from Middle Chinese 仙 ‎(sjen).

Noun

tiên

1. (in Chinese mythology or literature) a xian, a hermit who trains themself in thousands of years to become a god, or a state of existence between a human (nhân) and a god (thần)
2. (rare) a god or goddess
3. (in Western fantasy) a fine, beautiful creature such as a fairy, a pixie, an undine, an elf, a dryad, etc.