<blockquote>
<p>Eat first =&gt; 先食</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is correct, because 先 means 'first' in both Cantonese and Mandarin, so 先食 in Cantonese means the same as 先吃 in Mandarin</p>
<p>But in Cantonese,  '先'(shortened for 先至) is also the counterpart of '才' in Mandarin</p>
<blockquote>
<p>先 <a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/560/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/560/</a></p>
<p><em>[7] [粵] [adv] only then (shortened for 先至)</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Example:</p>
<p><strong>Only</strong> after you finish them all, <strong>then</strong> you can get off work</p>
<p>全部做完<strong>才</strong>可以下班 (Mandarin)</p>
<p>全部做完<strong>先</strong>(至)可以放工 (Cantonese)</p>
<p>~</p>
<p><strong>Only</strong> after I bought it, <strong>then</strong> I realized it was a fake</p>
<p>買了<strong>才</strong>知是假貨 (Mandarin)</p>
<p>買咗<strong>先</strong>(至)知係假貨 (Cantonese)</p>
<p><em>Your example sentence: &quot;努力先有好结果&quot; is a valid shortened version of  &quot;努力先至有好结果&quot;</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>才vs 先: When to use each one in Mandarin?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Aside from using '先' as the shortened form of '先至' in Cantonese, the usage of 先 is basically the same in Mandarin and Cantonese.</p>
<ul>
<li>先 cannot replace 才 in Mandarin</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-14T12:41:39.423Z
2017-09-14T13:13:09.913Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p>They have different meanings, I'm not familar with Cantonese, but in Mandarin, "先" means first, before, "先吃" and "先食" have the same meaning of "eat first".
"才" indicates doings something late than normal, "我三点才吃午饭" means I had lunch at three pm, which delivered a message that I was busy at lunch time, and have to eat lunch late.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-14T06:57:39.917Z
2017-09-14T06:57:39.917Z
village03
<p>才 could mean 'a little late' or 'just now' according to the context. </p>

<p>才吃 means you just finish eating and possibly implying it's late according to the speaker's tone. The intonation plays a key role here. </p>

<p>This is hard for a Chinese language learner to distinct whether the speaker has the implication of 'late'.</p>

<p>For example, 你才吃完啊？ could just simply mean you just finish eating. Or if you put an emphasis on 才 while you speak, it means you just finish eating but emphasize more on "you are actually late" for eating. It could be a complaining sometimes. </p>

<p>先 just means 'first', 'earlier'. It's not that hard as 才.</p>

<p>先吃 means you eat a bit earlier than others/normal; you eat first. Like in 我先吃；你先吃；</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-14T07:04:22.757Z
2017-09-14T07:04:22.757Z
dan
<p>才 and 先 are both very common words in Mandarin. Like you said, 先 means first in Cantonese, but it is the same in Mandarin.</p>

<ul>
<li><p><strong>先</strong> means first or <em>previous</em> in time(or order), or means <em>earlier than</em> ..., or means <em>in advance</em>, or means <em>before</em> ..., the opposite word is 后(means later).<br>
<em>examples:</em> 早<strong>先</strong>,<strong>先</strong>前 both mean previously(or in the past). <strong>先</strong>人 means ancestor</p>

<p>她比我们<strong>先</strong>到了那里——She got there before us.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>才</strong> has two kinds of character. </p>

<p>When it's used as noun it means
<em>ability</em> or <em>talent</em> or <em>gift</em>. (example:你真有<strong>才</strong>——you really have talent! 多<strong>才</strong>多艺——be gifted in many ways.) </p>

<p>When it's used as adv, it
means just now (example:刚<strong>才</strong>——just now, <strong>才</strong>开始——just start), </p>

<p>or means
things happen or finish so late (example:你怎么<strong>才</strong>来——Why are you so late!,
他昨天<strong>才</strong>走——He doesn't leave until yesterday). </p>

<p>or means short in
number (example:你<strong>才</strong>十八岁——you are only 18 years old!) </p>

<p>or means only
...when (example: Only when you try hard, you can get good
results——努力<strong>才</strong>有好结果), </p>

<p>or mean emphasize (example: I'm not buying what you
said at all——我<strong>才</strong>不信你说的呢)</p></li>
</ul>

<hr>

<p>this is all I know, hope it helps</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-14T08:38:42.407Z
helps a lot! this is an awesome answer. will probably accept this as the answer but should wait 24-48 hours or so to let others reply as a courtesy. thanks again!
Crashalot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-14T08:39:32.370Z
so in your "only" example, could you also use 先? in cantonese, it would be okay to use 先 like 努力先有好结果.
Crashalot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-14T12:08:21.963Z
@Crashalot In the only example, '先' not commonly used(I myself have never seen), it's better to use '才'.  sorry I'm not so familiar with cantonese
jiaxyan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-14T07:19:50.520Z
2017-09-14T07:29:24.163Z
2017-09-14T07:29:24.163Z
jiaxyan
<p>In Cantonese, you use 先 to mean "first." For example:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Eat first => 先食</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In Mandarin, most people use 才 so it becomes:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>才吃</p>
</blockquote>

<p>But sometimes people also use 先 even with Mandarin, so what are the guidelines in Mandarin for using 才vs 先?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-14T06:40:40.953Z
If you mean “Eat first” in the sense of “Eat first, wash the dishes later” or “You eat first, I’ll help myself afterwards”, then I highly doubt that “In Mandarin, most people use 才”.
Philipp
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-14T08:35:32.907Z
@Philipp could you please elaborate as an answer? it sounds like there are certain guidelines to using 才. thanks!
Crashalot
<mandarin><cantonese>
才vs 先: When to use each one in Mandarin?
# 才vs 先: When to use each one in Mandarin?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-09-14)

In Cantonese, you use 先 to mean "first." For example:

> Eat first => 先食

In Mandarin, most people use 才 so it becomes:

> 才吃

But sometimes people also use 先 even with Mandarin, so what are the guidelines in Mandarin for using 才vs 先?

**Tags:** mandarin, cantonese

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: If you mean “Eat first” in the sense of “Eat first, wash the dishes later” or “You eat first, I’ll help myself afterwards”, then I highly doubt that “In Mandarin, most people use 才”.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 could you please elaborate as an answer? it sounds like there are certain guidelines to using 才. thanks!  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2017-09-14. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

才 and 先 are both very common words in Mandarin. Like you said, 先 means first in Cantonese, but it is the same in Mandarin.

* **先** means first or *previous* in time(or order), or means *earlier than* ..., or means *in advance*, or means *before* ..., the opposite word is 后(means later).  
  *examples:* 早**先**,**先**前 both mean previously(or in the past). **先**人 means ancestor

  她比我们**先**到了那里——She got there before us.
* **才** has two kinds of character.

  When it's used as noun it means
  *ability* or *talent* or *gift*. (example:你真有**才**——you really have talent! 多**才**多艺——be gifted in many ways.)

  When it's used as adv, it
  means just now (example:刚**才**——just now, **才**开始——just start),

  or means
  things happen or finish so late (example:你怎么**才**来——Why are you so late!,
  他昨天**才**走——He doesn't leave until yesterday).

  or means short in
  number (example:你**才**十八岁——you are only 18 years old!)

  or means only
  ...when (example: Only when you try hard, you can get good
  results——努力**才**有好结果),

  or mean emphasize (example: I'm not buying what you
  said at all——我**才**不信你说的呢)

---

this is all I know, hope it helps

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: helps a lot! this is an awesome answer. will probably accept this as the answer but should wait 24-48 hours or so to let others reply as a courtesy. thanks again!  
> **username_0**: so in your "only" example, could you also use 先? in cantonese, it would be okay to use 先 like 努力先有好结果.  
> **username_5**: @username_0 In the only example, '先' not commonly used(I myself have never seen), it's better to use '才'.  sorry I'm not so familiar with cantonese  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-09-14. Score: 4

> Eat first => 先食

It is correct, because 先 means 'first' in both Cantonese and Mandarin, so 先食 in Cantonese means the same as 先吃 in Mandarin

But in Cantonese, '先'(shortened for 先至) is also the counterpart of '才' in Mandarin

> 先 <http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/560/>
>
> *[7] [粵] [adv] only then (shortened for 先至)*

Example:

**Only** after you finish them all, **then** you can get off work

全部做完**才**可以下班 (Mandarin)

全部做完**先**(至)可以放工 (Cantonese)

~

**Only** after I bought it, **then** I realized it was a fake

買了**才**知是假貨 (Mandarin)

買咗**先**(至)知係假貨 (Cantonese)

*Your example sentence: "努力先有好结果" is a valid shortened version of "努力先至有好结果"*

> 才vs 先: When to use each one in Mandarin?

Aside from using '先' as the shortened form of '先至' in Cantonese, the usage of 先 is basically the same in Mandarin and Cantonese.

* 先 cannot replace 才 in Mandarin


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-09-14. Score: 2

They have different meanings, I'm not familar with Cantonese, but in Mandarin, "先" means first, before, "先吃" and "先食" have the same meaning of "eat first".
"才" indicates doings something late than normal, "我三点才吃午饭" means I had lunch at three pm, which delivered a message that I was busy at lunch time, and have to eat lunch late.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-09-14. Score: 2

才 could mean 'a little late' or 'just now' according to the context.

才吃 means you just finish eating and possibly implying it's late according to the speaker's tone. The intonation plays a key role here.

This is hard for a Chinese language learner to distinct whether the speaker has the implication of 'late'.

For example, 你才吃完啊？ could just simply mean you just finish eating. Or if you put an emphasis on 才 while you speak, it means you just finish eating but emphasize more on "you are actually late" for eating. It could be a complaining sometimes.

先 just means 'first', 'earlier'. It's not that hard as 才.

先吃 means you eat a bit earlier than others/normal; you eat first. Like in 我先吃；你先吃；


---

