🇨🇳Chinese Source WordCode: ZH

先到先得

Pronunciation / Transliteration: xiān dào xiān dé

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
First-come, first-served/ˌfɜːstˌkʌm ˌfɜːst ˈsɜːvd/
adjectiveadverbCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #4500 frequency
Full Thesaurus
🇨🇳 Example Sentence in Chinese:

"座位有限,所以是先到先得。"

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As phrase
  1. 1

    A principle that indicates that those who arrive first will receive service or benefits before others.

    "At the event, seating was limited, so it was first come, first served."
  2. 2

    A policy or practice where resources are allocated to individuals based on their order of arrival.

    "The tickets were sold on a first come, first served basis, leading to a rush at the box office."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the standard English phrases 'first come' and 'first served,' dating back to the late 14th century in legal and commercial contexts. The formulation reflects a traditional social equity principle where priority is granted strictly in order of arrival or application.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "First-come, first-served"?

10 Global Lexicons: How "First-come, first-served" is said worldwide

Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration

🇫🇷French → English

premier arrivé, premier servi

Transliteration: premier arrivé, premier servi

"Les places étaient limitées, donc c'était premier arrivé, premier servi."

🇩🇪German → English

wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst

Transliteration: wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst

"Die Plätze waren begrenzt, also galt: wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst."

🇮🇹Italian → English

chi prima arriva, prima serve

Transliteration: chi prima arriva, prima serve

"I posti erano limitati, quindi era chi prima arriva, prima serve."

🇪🇸Spanish → English

el que llega primero, se sirve primero

Transliteration: el que llega primero, se sirve primero

"Los asientos eran limitados, así que era el que llega primero, se sirve primero."

🇵🇹Portuguese → English

primeiro a chegar, primeiro a ser servido

Transliteration: primeiro a chegar, primeiro a ser servido

"Os lugares eram limitados, então era primeiro a chegar, primeiro a ser servido."

🇮🇳Hindi → English

पहला आया, पहला गया

Transliteration: pehla aaya, pehla gaya

"इवेंट में सीमित सीटें थीं, इसलिए यह पहला आया, पहला गया था।"

🇨🇳Chinese → English

先到先得

Transliteration: xiān dào xiān dé

"座位有限,所以是先到先得。"

🇰🇷Korean → English

선착순

Transliteration: seonchak-sun

"좌석이 제한되어 있어 선착순으로 진행되었습니다."

🇯🇵Japanese → English

先着順

Transliteration: senchaku jun

"席は限られていたので、先着順でした。"

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "First-come, first-served"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "First-come, first-served" Synonym Map