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优先 (yōu xiān) — to have priority, to take precedence

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to give priority to / handle first.' Usually takes a verb-object complement (优先考虑, 优先处理) — the focus is on putting one thing ahead of others, not just ranking items.

verb
to have priorityto take precedence

Examples

  • 优先。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù yīng gāi yōu xiān kǎo lǜ.
    This project should be given priority.
  • 优先。
    Gōng sī yōu xiān jiě jué yuán gōng de ān quán wèn tí.
    The company prioritizes solving employees' safety issues.
  • ，优先。
    Yù dào jǐn jí qíng kuàng, wǒ men yào yōu xiān chǔ lǐ.
    In an emergency, we need to handle it first.

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.

优yōuexcellent
先xiānfirst

优 gives preference or excellence, 先 gives first place, giving the sense of taking precedence.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 優; 优 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
憂
憂yōu優yōu
Same sound today

The traditional form 優 combines 亻 (人, person) with 憂 for the sound; the simplified 优 is a later abbreviation.

Open 优 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

先 combines 止 (foot) and 儿 (person) to show someone moving forward.

Open 先 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Order & Arrangement

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