Meaning of 事先
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- in advance
- before the event
- beforehand
- prior
How to use 事先
事先 usually comes before a verb to show that an action was done ahead of time, often with words like 准备 (zhǔnbèi) or 通知 (tōngzhī). It is common in both speech and writing. Example: 你应该事先告诉我。(Nǐ yīnggāi shìxiān gàosu wǒ.) You should have told me beforehand.
事 (shì) means a matter or event, and 先 (xiān) means first or before. Put together, 事先 is what happens before the matter itself, so it means beforehand.
Common mistake: Learners often use 事先 like 以前 (yǐqián) to mean a past time in general, as in 事先我住在北京. That is wrong because 事先 means before a specific event and normally goes before a verb. Also keep the fourth tone on 事 (shì). Do not say it with the third tone of 使 (shǐ).
事先 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
事 shì · matter · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
先 xiān · beforehand · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 事先.
| 先生 | xiānsheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) |
| 没事儿 | méishìr | to have spare time; free from work |
| 事情 | shìqing | affair; matter; thing; business |
| 故事 | gùshi | old practice |
| 好事 | hǎoshì | good action, deed, thing or work (also sarcastic, "a fine thing indeed"); charity |
| 同事 | tóngshì | colleague; co-worker |
| 事实 | shìshí | fact |
| 首先 | shǒuxiān | first of all; in the first place |
| 事实上 | shìshíshang | in fact; in reality |
| 事件 | shìjiàn | incident; event |
| 事业 | shìyè | undertaking; project |
| 事故 | shìgù | accident |
Questions about 事先
What does 事先 mean?
事先 (shìxiān) means "in advance; before the event" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 事先?
事先 is made of 2 characters: 事 (8 strokes), 先 (6 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 事先 an HSK word?
Yes. 事先 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 事先 and 提前?
事先 stresses doing something before an event happens, like preparing or informing. 提前 (tíqián) means moving a time earlier than planned, as in 提前到 (arrive early). You can say 提前一天 but not 事先一天.
What is the opposite of 事先?
The opposite is 事后 (shìhòu), which means after the event. They often appear together, as in 事先不说，事后才说 (not saying it beforehand, only saying it afterward).