Discussion of 先 [xiān] before, first; for the time being; first, lead, initiative; past, beginning - Trainchinese

1 - 首先 vs 先 1. 首先 can be used as a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence: E.g. 首先，我们做个计划。First of all, let's make a plan. When 首先 is an adverb it appears after the subject before the verb: E.g. 我们首先发言。We deliver the speech first (before all others). 2. 先 when it is an adverb meaning “first, before“cannot appear at the beginning of a sentence. E.g. 我们先发言。 3. 先 has a whole bunch of other meanings that 首先 does not have. 2 - How does the meaning of “先“ (xiān) change depending on the context? 3 - Are there any common phrases that include “先“ (xiān)? 4 - When should I use “先“ (xiān) in a sentence?

{'1': '首先，一词可作句首之连词使用：例如，首先，让我们制定一个计划。首先，作为副词出现于主语之后，动词之前：例如，我们率先发表演讲。当‘先’作为副词，意为‘首先，在…之前’时，不能置于句首。例如，我们先行发表演讲。‘先’拥有众多其他含义，而‘首先’则不具备。2. ‘先’（xiān）之意义如何随语境而变化？3. 是否存在包含‘先’（xiān）的常见短语？4. 在何种语境下应使用‘先’（xiān）？'}