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Definition 2025

首先

首先

Chinese

		head; chief; first (occasion) head; chief; first (occasion); first (thing); measure word for poems	early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first
simp. and trad. (首先)		首	先

Adverb

首先

first of all; first; firstly

首先看到的是泰晤士河的出海口。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

Shǒuxiān kàndào de shì Tàiwùshì Hé de chūhǎikǒu. [Pinyin]

The first thing (I/we) saw was the estuary of Thames.
primarily

Pronunciation

Mandarin

(Pinyin): shǒuxiān

(Zhuyin): ㄕㄡˇ ㄒㄧㄢ
Cantonese (Jyutping): sau² sin¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): sú-siên
Min Nan (POJ): siú-sian

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
  - Pinyin: shǒuxiān
  - Zhuyin: ㄕㄡˇ ㄒㄧㄢ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shooushian
  - IPA ^(key): /ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: sau² sin¹
  - Yale: sáu sīn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: sau² sin¹
  - IPA ^(key): /sɐu̯³⁵ siːn⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sú-siên
  - Hakka Romanization System: su` xien´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: su³ xian¹
  - IPA: /su³¹ ɕi̯en²⁴/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siú-sian
  - Tâi-lô: siú-sian
  - Phofsit Daibuun: siwsiefn
  - IPA (Xiamen): /ɕiu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɕiɛn⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /ɕiu⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ ɕiɛn³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɕiu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɕiɛn⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /ɕiu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɕiɛn⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɕiu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ɕiɛn⁴⁴/