先后

• 拼音: xiān hòu
• 汉字拆解: 先 = 止 (stop) + 儿 (legs) — to go before; 后 = 彳 (step) + 幺 (small) + 夂 — behind

含义

One after another; successively; priority order. The sequence of events or the relative importance of things.

As a noun, indicates priority or sequence. As an adverb, means 'successively' or 'one after another.' Used to describe multiple events happening in sequence: 先后发生 (happened one after another), 不分先后 (regardless of order).

例句

1. 他先后去过十多个国家旅游。
2. 这件事的处理要分清先后顺序。
3. 两队队员先后到达了终点。

用法指南

语境: sequence, organization, narrative

语气: orderly

正确说法

• 做事要分清先后。(You need to prioritize when doing things.)
• 他们先后到达。(They arrived one after another.)

错误说法

• 说'先后同时'表示同时发生 (Don't combine 先后 with 同时 — they contradict each other; 先后 implies sequence, 同时 implies simultaneity)

起源与历史

先 (first, before) + 后 (after, behind). Together indicating temporal or priority sequence.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal