先秦

xiānqín

pre-Qin dynasty (i.e. before 221 BCE)

Wiktionary

Homographs

先秦 xiān Qín pre-Qin, Chinese history up to the foundation of the Qin imperial dynasty in 221 BC

Entry Composition

=1 先 xiān
  1. beforehand; first; earlier
  2. at first; originally
  3. for the time being; for now
  4. (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)
=1 先 xiǎn only used in 先馬／先马
2 秦 Qín
  1. surname Qin
  2. Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) of the first emperor 秦始皇 Qín Shǐhuáng
  3. short name for 陕西 Shǎnxī