首次
shoǔ cì · HSK 6
first
🥇 首 (head/chief) + 次 (time) = the chief time, the very first
首 originally meant head — the topmost part — so it extended to mean first or chief. 次 counts instances. Together: the head instance, the inaugural time.
首 — hair 丷 over face 自 (eye + nose)
首 is a pictograph of a head, originally drawn with hair on top and a face below (containing the eye element 目). It meant 'head' literally, then extended to 'chief, leader, first' since the head is the topmost and foremost part of the body.
次 — 冫 ice + 欠 yawn/lack
Originally depicted a person (欠) sighing or hesitating, with 二 (later written 冫) marking repetition or a secondary position. The core sense developed from 'second in order' or 'next' into related meanings like 'sequence,' 'time/occurrence,' and 'inferior quality.'