Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 原先
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.); husband; (dialect) doctor; CL:位[wei4]
先xiānbeforehand; first; earlier; at first; originally; for the time being; for now; (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)
首先shǒuxiānfirst (of all); in the first place
原来yuánláioriginal; former; originally; formerly; at first; so, actually, as it turns out
原谅yuánliàngto excuse; to forgive; to pardon
原因yuányīncause; origin; root cause; reason; CL:個|个[ge4]