先于
transitive verb
① (go before) 先于 xiān yú
▸ her death was preceded by a long illness
她死前病了很长一段时间
▸ to precede sb as president;
在某人之前担任总裁
▸ the great man was preceded by his little dog
那位伟人的小狗走在他前面
▸ to precede a speech with a few words of thanks
在演讲之前先说几句感谢的话
② (in rank) «king» 地位高于 dìwèi gāo yú ‹aristocrat›