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首次 (shǒu cì) — (quantifier phrase) first time; for the first time

Definition

首次 is a formal written phrase meaning 'first time' or 'for the first time,' common in reports and announcements. More literary than 先 (adverb) and rarer than 初 in compounds like 初次.

quantifier
(quantifier phrase) first timefor the first time

Examples

  • 首次。
    Tā shǒu cì fǎng wèn le měi guó.
    He visited the United States for the first time.
  • 首次。
    Zhè shì gōng sī de shǒu cì huì yì.
    This is the company's first meeting.
  • 首次。
    Wǒ shǒu cì cháng shì zuò zhōng guó cài.
    I tried to cook Chinese food for the first time.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

首shǒufirst
次cìtime/occurrence

首 gives first and 次 gives time or occurrence, so together they mean the first time.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape comes from an old drawing of an animal's head, showing a long mouth and horns; the version with hair became 首.

Open 首 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old form of 次 shows a person exhaling, with the marks above the figure representing breath.

Open 次 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5

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