首批

• Pinyin: shǒu pī
• Hanzi breakdown: 首 = pictograph of a head, extended to 'first, leading'; 批 = 扌 + 比 (hand + compare — to annotate/approve; extended to batch, group)

Meaning

First batch; first group; the initial cohort or tranche of people, goods, or items.

A noun-functioning modifier meaning 'the first in a series of batches'. Emphasises that subsequent batches will follow. Widely used in policy, logistics, education, and commerce — e.g., 首批试点城市 (first batch of pilot cities), 首批毕业生 (first graduating cohort), 首批投放 (first batch released to market). Closely related to 首批次 (first batch/tranche — more technical) and 第一批 (same meaning, slightly more neutral).

Examples

1. 首批获准进入特区的外资银行很快建起本地网络。 The first batch of foreign banks approved to enter the special zone quickly built local networks.
2. 首批毕业于新专业的学生虽求职受阻，但适应力很强。 Although the first graduates of the new major faced job-hunting obstacles, they adapted very well.
3. 首批试点城市名单公布后，各地加快细化配套政策。 After the list of first pilot cities was announced, local governments sped up the details of supporting policies.

Usage Guide

Context: policy, logistics, education, commerce, government

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 首批十二个城市将作为新型城镇化改革试验区，先行先试。(The first batch of twelve cities will serve as pilot zones for new-type urbanisation reform and take the lead in testing new measures.)
• 首批列入非遗名录的传统技艺备受关注，保护情况也纳入审议报告。(The traditional crafts in the first batch listed as intangible cultural heritage have drawn much attention, and their protection has been included in review reports.)

Don't Say

• 首批 when there is no implication of subsequent batches — use 第一批 (the first batch/group) as a neutral ordinal; 首批 carries an implicit sense that this is the leading tranche of a planned series

Origin & History

首 (first; leading) + 批 (batch; group; to approve — 扌 hand + 比 compare, originally to annotate and approve in groups)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal