How to say “first of all” in Chinese
first of all, firstly
“First of all” in Chinese is 首先, shǒu xiān: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
首先 is read shǒu xiān: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
A drawing of a head with hair. It's also the measure word for songs and poems.
先生 means “born earlier”: a respectful way to address an elder.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “首先”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 首先. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 首先预习课文，然后做练习。shǒuxiānyùxíkèwén,ránhòuzuòliànxíFirst read the text ahead of time, then do the exercises.
- 学外语，首先要多听，其次要多说。xuéwàiyǔ,shǒuxiānyàoduōtīng,qícìyàoduōshuōTo learn a foreign language, firstly you need to listen a lot, and secondly to speak a lot.
- 首先要多听其次要多说shǒuxiānyàoduōtīng,qícìyàoduōshuōFirstly, you need to listen a lot; secondly, to speak a lot.
- 遇到突发情况首先要保持冷静yùdàotūfāqíngkuàng,shǒuxiānyàobǎochílěngjìngIn an emergency, the first thing is to stay calm.
More words from the lesson “In order”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “first of all” in Chinese?
“First of all” in Chinese is 首先, pinyin shǒuxiān.
What does 首先 mean?
首先 (shǒuxiān) means “first of all, firstly”.
How do you write 首先?
首先 is 2 characters: 首 (shǒu) — head; first, chief; 先 (xiān) — first, before. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 首先?
首先 is read shǒuxiān. Tones: shǒu — third tone, xiān — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“first of all” in the lesson “In order”
This word is from the topic “In class” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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