shì xiān
in advance; beforehand
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我事先已经把资料发给你了。
wǒ shìxiān yǐjīng bǎ zīliào fā gěi nǐ le.
I have already sent you the information in advance.
我们事先已经做好了准备。
wǒmen shìxiān yǐjīng zuò hǎo le zhǔnbèi.
We have already made preparations in advance.
你事先应该告诉我一声。
nǐ shìxiān yīnggāi gàosu wǒ yīshēng.
You should have told me in advance.
事后 (shì hòu)
afterwards
后来 (hòu lái)
later
The Chinese word 事先 (shìxiān) is composed of two characters: 事 (shì) and 先 (xiān). The character 事 means "matter, affair, event", while the character 先 means "before, in advance". Together, the two characters 事先 mean "in advance, beforehand, prior to".The word 事先 is often used in Chinese to express the idea of doing something before it is necessary or expected. For example, you might say 事先准备 (shìxiān zhǔnbèi) to mean "prepare in advance" or 事先通知 (shìxiān tōngzhī) to mean "notify in advance".The word 事先 can also be used to express the idea of doing something without permission or authorization. For example, you might say 事先行动 (shìxiān xíngdòng) to mean "act without permission" or 事先决定 (shìxiān juédìng) to mean "make a decision without authorization".In general, the word 事先 is used to express the idea of doing something before it is necessary, expected, or authorized. It is a useful word to know for HSK learners, as it can be used in a variety of situations.
