mister; Mr.; sir; a polite form of address for any man

The earliest in time or order; first of all; before all others

high-level or well-developed in skills, technology, or social progress

successively; one after another in a sequence

to be in the lead or in front in a competition, race, or development

to take the initiative; to lead the way

priority; preferred; taking precedence (used as an attribute)

in advance; before the event; ahead of time

Used to describe a situation or action that happened first, often followed by words like [[后来|後來|hou4 lai2]] or [[然后|然後|ran2 hou4]] in the next part of the sentence

at first; in the past

Units or individuals leading an army into battle; the forefront of a military force.

To start off or walk before others; to go ahead of the rest of a group

previously; before; in the past

formal way of addressing or referring to a man with the surname Zhang

A person who perceives or understands things before others; a person of great insight

the very first; initial

Inborn or existing from birth; inherited from one's parents. Also used in philosophy to describe knowledge that is independent of experience.

ancestors or forebears of a family or ethnic group; typically refers to generations in the distant past

to rush to do something ahead of others; to forestall; to vie to be the first one to act

beforehand; in advance; used to describe an action taken before an event occurs

the quality of being innate or inherent; the state of being congenital

formerly; in the past; beforehand

To go or depart ahead of others; leave before someone else.

The time before a certain date or period; beforehand; in advance

the earliest or a previously existing instance of something

person who is among the first to explore or help develop something; trailblazer; forerunner; predecessor

The earliest and most critical moment to gain an advantage; a decisive opportunity; a head start

A respectful form of address or reference to an elderly man

To take the lead or act first in order to gain the initiative.

The ancient belief and practice of sacrificing to the Yellow River before the sea, regarding it as the source

to lead the way; to act as a guide or precursor

previously; in the past; formerly; also written [[早起|早起|zao3 qi3]]

advanced worker; an employee recognized for outstanding achievement or efficiency

Li Xiannian (1909-1992), a Chinese Communist guerrilla leader, general, and politician who served as President of the People's Republic of China from 1983 to 1988

at first; in the beginning; originally

striving to be first and fearing to be last; outdoing one another in a race to get something first

(idiom) to be far ahead in a competition or race; to hold an absolute advantage

(respectful term) martyr; heroes who died for a noble cause or for the nation

prerequisite; premise; a condition that must be met or settled before something else can happen

ancestors; forefathers; previous generations

The historical period in China before the unification of the country by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC; usually refers specifically to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

To be at the front or in the lead; to be in the vanguard.

(idiom) to gain the initiative by striking first; to preempt an opponent in order to control them or gain the upper hand (note: the character [[制|制|zhi4]] should not be mistakenly written as [[治|治|zhi4]])

The right to precede others or be treated with preference; priority.

A person who is first to advocate a cause or open a path for those who follow; a pioneer or first-mover.

Young Pioneers of China; a mass youth organization for children in mainland China.

to vie for first place; to rush to be ahead of others

(loanword) A former unit of currency in the UK, equal to one-twentieth of a pound or twelve pence

sign or indication that something is about to happen; portent; foreboding