First… second… lastly… (首先…其次…最后…)

Structure 首先 + point 1，其次 + point 2，(再次/此外…)，最后 + final point

首先…其次…最后… (shǒuxiān… qícì… zuìhòu…) is the enumerative sequence of the essay and the argumentative speech: it orders the points of a line of reasoning "first / second / lastly". 首先明确目标，其次制订计划，最后付诸行动 = "first set the goal, then draw up the plan, and lastly put it into action". Each link may run to several sentences; for longer series, 再次 (zàicì) or 此外 (cǐwài) is inserted between 其次 and 最后. Although 首先 and 其次 occur on their own earlier, what is distinctively HSK 6 here is wielding the full series as the rhetorical scaffolding of a paragraph.

Examples

首shǒu先xiān明míng确què目mù标biāo，其qí次cì制zhì订dìng计jì划huà，最zuì后hòu付fù诸zhū行xíng动dòng。
First clarify the goal, second draw up the plan, and lastly put it into action.
首shǒu先xiān它tā成chéng本běn低dī，其qí次cì操cāo作zuò简jiǎn单dān，最zuì后hòu效xiào果guǒ显xiǎn著zhù。
First, it's low-cost; second, it's simple to operate; lastly, its results are striking.
分fēn析xī问wèn题tí，首shǒu先xiān看kàn现xiàn象xiàng，其qí次cì究jiū原yuán因yīn，最zuì后hòu提tí对duì策cè。
To analyze a problem, first observe the phenomenon, then probe the cause, and lastly propose measures.

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