先王 xiān wáng

DEFINITIONS

  1. former kings
  2. former emperors
  3. in Confucian writing, refers esp. to the sage rulers Yao 堯|尧[Yao2], Shun 舜[Shun4], Yu 禹[Yu3], Tang 湯|汤[Tang1] and the kings of Zhou

CHARACTERS

先 xiān first, former, previous
王 wáng king, ruler; royal; surname