事先 shìxiān in advance
in advance; before the event; beforehand; prior
How to remember 事先: 事 matter + 先 first = in advance.
Characters
How it is used
- Adverbial meaning beforehand or in advance, placed before the verb: 事先通知 (notify in advance), 事先没有准备 (didn't prepare beforehand).
- Differs from 提前 (tíqián), which specifically means moving something earlier than originally scheduled - 事先 just marks prior to the event, with no implication a schedule was moved up.
Example sentences
- 除非他们事先修好刹车，我才会买车子。 Chúfēi tāmen shìxiān xiūhǎo shāchē, wǒ cái huì mǎi chēzi.I'll only buy the car if they fix the brakes first.