Sequencing with "xian" and "zai"

The word 再 (zài) actually has a lot of uses, beyond just "again." "先..., 再..." (xiān..., zài...) is a pattern used for sequencing events, much like "First..., then..." in English. This pattern can also include "然后" (ránhòu) meaning "and after that."

General Usage of 先……再……

In the pattern below, 再 has a meaning of "then" or "and then."

Structure

先 + [Event 1] + 再 + [Event 2]

Examples

• 我 会 先 洗 手，再 吃 晚饭。First, I'm going to wash my hands, then I'll eat.
• 她 要 先 吃 早饭，再 去 学校。First, she's going to eat breakfast, then she'll go to school.
• 他 的 朋友 都 先 看 电影，再 去 酒吧。His friends all went to watch a movie first, then they went to the bar.

Using 再说

You may have learned that "再说" can mean "in addition." Well, this usage of 再 is a more literal combination of 再 + 说, fitting into the 先……再…… pattern.

So in this usage, 再说 doesn't really mean "in addition." Rather, it most literally means "and then we'll talk." In other words, "let's just do this now," and then after we see the result, we can talk some more about next steps. There's kind of a "let's see how this goes first" feeling to the expression.

Structure

Note that in the pattern below, the sentence normally ends with 再说.

先 + [Event 1] + 再说

Examples

• 先 吃饭 再说 。Let's eat first, then we'll talk.
• 先 做 完 这个 再说 。First finish this, then we'll talk.
• 我 先 上 个 厕所 再说 。I'm going to go to the bathroom first, then we can talk.
• 我们 先 休息 一下 再说 。Let's rest a little first, then talk.
• 你们 先 讨论 一下 再说 。You guys discuss a little first, then we'll talk.

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 258-9) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 19-20) →buy