先后 meaning in English
early or late; first and last; priority; in succession; one after another
Meaning of 先后
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- early or late; first and last; priority
- in succession; one after another
How to use 先后
As a noun, 先后 means order or priority, often in phrases like 有先后 (there is an order). As an adverb, it means "one after another" or "successively" and comes before the verb, often with a number of people or places. Example: 他先后去过北京和上海。(Tā xiānhòu qùguo Běijīng hé Shànghǎi.) He has been to Beijing and then Shanghai.
先 (xiān) means first and 后 (hòu) means after, so 先后 puts "before" and "after" side by side. Picture people lining up, one in front and one behind, to remember both the idea of order and of things happening one after another.
Common mistake: Learners often use 先后 like 然后 (ránhòu) to mean "then" between two clauses, but 先后 goes before a verb to cover several events together and does not link clauses. Also keep the tones clear: first tone xiān, then fourth tone hòu.
先后 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.
先 xiān · beforehand · 6 strokes
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后 hòu · back · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 先后.
| 先生 | xiānsheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) |
| 最后 | zuìhòu | final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end |
| 后天 | hòutiān | the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experie |
| 后边 | hòubian | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
| 然后 | ránhòu | then; after that; afterwards |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after; later |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
| 今后 | jīnhòu | hereafter; henceforth |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
| 首先 | shǒuxiān | first of all; in the first place |
| 背后 | bèihòu | behind; at the back |
| 后果 | hòuguǒ | consequences; aftermath |
Questions about 先后
What does 先后 mean?
先后 (xiānhòu) means "early or late; first and last; priority; in succession; one after another" and is used as a noun and adverb.
How do you write 先后?
先后 is made of 2 characters: 先 (6 strokes), 后 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 先后 an HSK word?
Yes. 先后 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 先后 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 先后 is written 先後.
What is the difference between 先后 and 先...后...?
先后 is one word placed before a verb to say several things happened in sequence. The pattern 先A后B splits the two characters to say do A first, then B, as in 先吃饭后学习 (xiān chīfàn hòu xuéxí), eat first, then study.
How do you say "in order of arrival" with 先后?
A common phrase is 按先后顺序 (àn xiānhòu shùnxù), meaning "in order" or "by sequence." You might hear 按到达的先后 (àn dàodá de xiānhòu), meaning in order of arrival.