tā xiān xǐ liǎn, zài shuāyá.

This sentence uses the very common sequence pattern 先...再..., which means:

• first..., then...
• do A first, then do B

So the structure is:

• 她 = she
• 先洗脸 = first wash her face
• 再刷牙 = then brush her teeth

A very general pattern is:

Subject + 先 + Verb Phrase 1， 再 + Verb Phrase 2

Example:

• 我先吃饭，再学习。 = I eat first, then study.

Because 先 and 再 function like time-order adverbs here. In Mandarin, words showing time/order often go before the verb.

So:

• 先洗脸 = first wash face
• 再刷牙 = then brush teeth

This is normal Mandarin word order. English often uses separate clauses like She washes her face first, then brushes her teeth, but Chinese usually puts the sequencing words directly before the action.

Because the subject is still clearly the same: she.

In Chinese, if the subject does not change, it is very common to mention it once and leave it out in the next part.

So:

• 她先洗脸，再刷牙。 = She first washes her face, then brushes her teeth.

You could say 她先洗脸，再她刷牙, but that is not natural. Repeating the subject here would sound unnecessary.

Chinese often omits possessive words like my, your, his, her when the owner is obvious.

In this sentence, since the subject is 她 and the actions are everyday body-care actions, it is naturally understood that she is washing her own face and brushing her own teeth.

So:

• 洗脸 literally = wash face
• 刷牙 literally = brush teeth

But in natural English, we translate them as:

• wash her face
• brush her teeth

This kind of omission is very common with body parts in Chinese.

No. In this sentence, 再 means then / after that / next, not again.

This is a very important point, because 再 can have different meanings depending on context.

Here, in 先...再..., it marks the next action in sequence:

• 先洗脸，再刷牙 = first wash your face, then brush your teeth

In other contexts, 再 can mean again or one more time:

• 再说一遍 = say it again
• 再来一次 = do it one more time

So the meaning depends on the pattern and context.

Both can mean then, but they are used a little differently.

• 先...再... is a fixed and very common pattern for sequencing actions.
• 然后 means then / after that and is more like a connector between clauses.

So these are both natural:

• 她先洗脸，再刷牙。
• 她先洗脸，然后刷牙。

The version with 再 sounds especially neat and natural because it matches 先.

A simple way to remember it:

• 先...再... = a paired structure
• 然后 = a general then/after that

Literally:

• 刷 = brush
• 牙 = teeth / tooth

So 刷牙 means to brush one’s teeth.

It is a very common verb-object phrase in Chinese, like:

• 洗脸 = wash face
• 洗手 = wash hands
• 刷牙 = brush teeth

Chinese often uses short, compact verb-object expressions for everyday actions.

Yes.

• 洗 = wash
• 脸 = face

So 洗脸 literally means wash face, and naturally in English it becomes wash one’s face.

Like 刷牙, this is a very common everyday verb-object phrase.

Other similar examples:

• 洗头 = wash hair / wash one’s hair
• 洗澡 = take a bath / bathe
• 刷鞋 = brush shoes

The comma is very common and helpful, because it separates the two actions clearly.

• 她先洗脸，再刷牙。

In informal writing, people sometimes omit it:

• 她先洗脸再刷牙。

Both can be understood, but the comma makes the structure easier to read, especially for learners.

Also note that Chinese uses the full-width Chinese comma:

• ， not the English comma:
• ,

It can do either, depending on context.

Without extra time markers, Chinese sentences are often neutral about tense. So this could mean:

• She first washes her face, then brushes her teeth.
  (habit/routine)

or

• She washed her face first, then brushed her teeth.
  (a specific past event)

or even

• She will first wash her face, then brush her teeth.
  (future plan)

The surrounding context tells you which time meaning is intended.

A common way is to add 了 where appropriate, or include a time expression.

For example:

• 她先洗了脸，再刷了牙。 = She washed her face first, then brushed her teeth.

You could also add a time word:

• 昨天她先洗脸，再刷牙。 = Yesterday she first washed her face, then brushed her teeth.

Chinese does not mark tense the same way English does, so time is often shown through:

• context
• time words
• aspect markers like 了

In spoken Mandarin, 她, 他, and 它 are all pronounced tā with the first tone.

So in speech, you cannot tell them apart from pronunciation alone. You understand the meaning from context.

In writing:

• 她 = she
• 他 = he
• 它 = it

This is normal in Mandarin.

Because 先 here is not acting like the preposition before. It is showing the order of actions: first.

So:

• 先洗脸 = wash your face first

If you want before as a connector between two actions, Chinese often uses 先...再... or other structures rather than a direct word-for-word equivalent of English before.

So in this sentence, the natural idea is:

• first do A, then do B not
• before do A, do B

Yes. Grammatically, that is perfectly correct.

It simply changes the order of the actions:

• 她先刷牙，再洗脸。 = She first brushes her teeth, then washes her face.

So the pattern stays the same:

• 先 + action 1， 再 + action 2

Only the sequence changes.

It is neutral and very natural in everyday Mandarin.

It works well in:

• conversation
• textbooks
• simple written Chinese
• describing routines

It is neither especially formal nor especially slangy. That makes it a very useful model sentence for learners.