先不先

Chinese

		early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first	not; no	early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first
simp. and trad. (先不先)		先	不	先

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): xiānbùxiān

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄢ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): xian¹ bu² xian¹

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sin¹ bat¹ sin¹
• Northern Min (KCR): sáing-bŭ-sáing
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): sienn¹ bu sienn¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiānbùxiān
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sianbùsian
    • Wade–Giles: hsien¹-pu⁴-hsien¹
    • Yale: syān-bù-syān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shianbushian
    • Palladius: сяньбусянь (sjanʹbusjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: xian¹ bu² xian¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: xianbuxian
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiɛn⁵⁵ pu²¹ ɕiɛn⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sin¹ bat¹ sin¹
    • Yale: sīn bāt sīn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sin¹ bat⁷ sin¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: xin¹ bed¹ xin¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ siːn⁵⁵/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sáing-bŭ-sáing
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saiŋ⁵⁴ pu²⁴ saiŋ⁵⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: sienn¹ bu sienn¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /si̯ẽ³³ pu³ si̯ẽ³³/
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /ɕi̯ẽ³³ pu³ ɕi̯ẽ³³/

Adverb

先不先

1. first of all; first; firstly
2. (Northern Min) initially; originally; at first; in the beginning

Synonyms

• (first of all): 首先 (shǒuxiān)
• (in the beginning):

• 一插手兒／一插手儿 (yīchāshǒur) (Beijing Mandarin)
• 一開始／一开始 (yīkāishǐ)
• 上頭仔／上头仔 (Hokkien)
• 乍出猛兒／乍出猛儿 (zhàchūměngr) (Beijing Mandarin)
• 先前 (¹shi-zhi) (Wu)
• 先起頭／先起头 (Wu)
• 先頭／先头 (Wu)
• 最初 (zuìchū)
• 初初 (co¹ co¹) (Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien)
• 劈頭／劈头 (pītóu)
• 原 (yuán)
• 原來／原来 (yuánlái)
• 原先 (yuánxiān)
• 原初 (yuánchū)
• 原底 (Hokkien, chiefly Cantonese, Teochew, chiefly Cantonese)
• 原旦 (Hakka)
• 原本 (yuánběn)
• 原本榻裡／原本榻里 (⁶gnioe-pen-thaq-li) (Wu)
• 在本 (Hokkien)
• 始初 (shǐchū) (literary)
• 寢頭／寝头 (Hokkien)
• 就跟兒／就跟儿 (jiùgēnr) (Beijing Mandarin)
• 早先 (⁵tsau-shi) (Wu)
• 本來／本来 (běnlái)
• 本則來／本则来 (⁵pen-tseq-le) (Wu)
• 本底 (Hokkien)
• 本底子 (⁵pen-ti-tsy) (Wu)
• 本成 (Hokkien)
• 本然 (Hokkien)
• 本生 (⁵pen-san) (Wu)
• 當初／当初 (dāngchū)
• 當初時／当初时 (Hokkien)
• 當原初／当原初 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
• 自本 (Hokkien)
• 舊底／旧底 (Hokkien)
• 起先 (qǐxiān)
• 起初 (qǐchū)
• 起始 (qǐshǐ)
• 起手 (qǐshǒu)
• 起頭／起头 (qǐtóu)
• 起首 (qǐshǒu) (literary, or Guangzhou Cantonese)
• 開先／开先 (kai¹ sienn¹) (Xiang)
• 開初／开初 (kāichū)
• 頭仔／头仔 (Hokkien)
• 頭起先／头起先 (Hokkien)
• 頭頭／头头 (Cantonese, Eastern Min, Hokkien)