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Chinese grammar

先…，再/然后…

First …, then …

Orders two actions: first one, then the other.

In stories

  1. 这是骗子很常用的办法：先让你害怕，再让你转钱。

    “我是警察，请把钱转给我” · Phone scams in China: how to spot them HSK 3

  2. 每次吃面，都先把鸡蛋吃了，再慢慢吃面。”

    墙上的照片 · The photo on the wall HSK 3

  3. 约见面时，可以先说哪个门，然后说门里还是门外：“我们在商场东门外见。”

    我们都到了却没见面 · Same Place Different Door HSK 3

  4. 她先做一个大大的饼，再放一个鸡蛋，有的还会放一根油条。

    中国人早饭吃什么？ · What do Chinese people eat for breakfast? HSK 3

Read “我是警察，请把钱转给我”

What does 先…，再/然后… mean in Chinese?

First …, then …. Orders two actions: first one, then the other.

How common is 先…，再/然后…?

It comes up in 8 readings of the 392 stories and articles in our free Library.

Does it correct my mistakes?

No. It shows which patterns a text uses and what each one does; it doesn’t mark errors. Paste a sentence you wrote to see whether it uses the pattern you meant.

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Patterns found by our own parser; lines from our free Library.