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。

I usually wash my hands before I eat.

她要先吃早饭，再去学校。

First, she's going to eat breakfast, then she'll go to school.

我喜欢先洗澡，再睡觉。

I prefer to take a bath before I go to bed.

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.

先让他把工作做完再说。

Let him finish his work first, and then we'll talk.

我先跟我父母商量一下再说。

I'm going to talk to my parents 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.

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