先行
せんこう · senkou · JLPT N3 · noun
going first
🏃🥇 先行 = ahead + go: whoever goes ahead goes first
先 (sen) means ahead or before, as in 先生, the one born before you. 行 (kou) means to go, as in 旅行 (a trip). Together they mean going ahead of others, so 先行 describes anything that comes first or happens before the rest.
先 — 𠂉 (person variant) on top + 儿 (legs) below
先 originally depicted a person with a foot or step shown above the legs 儿, suggesting someone walking ahead. From this image of going before others came the meanings 'first,' 'earlier,' and 'ahead.' The modern shape preserves the 'legs' radical underneath.
行 — crossroads pictograph (left 彳 + right 亍)
行 originally pictured a four-way crossroads in oracle bone script, with two paths meeting. From 'road' it extended to 'walk, go, travel,' and then to 'a row, line' or 'business firm' (read háng). The two halves 彳 and 亍 are the split sides of that ancient crossroads.