初次 (chū cì) — for the first time

Definition

初次 means 'for the first time' and is more formal/written than the common 第一次. It typically precedes a verb in the pattern 初次 + verb.

adverb
for the first time

Examples

  • 初次
    Wǒ men chū cì jiàn miàn shí, tā gěi wǒ liú xià le shēn kè de yìn xiàng.
    When we met for the first time, he left a deep impression on me.
  • 初次
    chū cì Cháng shì zhè dào cài, wǒ jiù ài shàng le tā de wèi dào.
    The first time I tried this dish, I fell in love with its flavor.
  • 初次
    Tā chū cì qù guó wài lǚ xíng, yù dào le yì xiē wén huà shàng de chā yì.
    He traveled abroad for the first time and encountered some cultural differences.

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.

chūfirst
time

The first time: 初 means first and 次 refers to an occasion.

Characters in this word

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

初 combines 衤 (clothes) and 刀 (knife), showing the start of making clothes by cutting cloth.

Open 初 →

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 →

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