TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
先
先 ＝ 止 ＋ 儿
ㄒㄧㄢ · xiān
adv — first, before
字源 FORM — what the parts do
儿義a person — the walking legs
A foot (止, worn into the top strokes) planted ahead of a person (儿) — the step already out front. What goes in front goes first: 先生 the one born before, 首先 first of all, 先走 leaves ahead of you.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
路上的腳印（止）一直伸到前頭——有人先走了。
Footprints (止) run on ahead of the walker (儿) — someone has gone first.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)在前— ahead, before常用
→先生、祖先— the earlier-born; ancestors
→首先、先後— first of all; the order of before and after
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension