先河
Chinese
early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first | river | ||
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simp. and trad. (先河) | 先 | 河 |
Etymology
From the Book of Rites:
- 三王之祭川也,皆先河而後海,或源也,或委也,此之謂務本。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Book of Rites, c. 4th – 2nd century BCE
- Sānwáng zhī jì chuān yě, jiē xiān hé ér hòu hǎi, huò yuán yě, huò wěi yě, cǐ zhī wèi wùběn. [Pinyin]
- When the three sovereigns sacrificed to the waters, they did so first to the rivers and then to the seas; first to the source and then to its result. This was what is called “Paying attention to the root”.
三王之祭川也,皆先河而后海,或源也,或委也,此之谓务本。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Noun
先河
- (figuratively) origin of things; precursor; forerunner