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I think that the both of them mean before, but I have seen that they are
sometimes use in parent-child metaphors, but I always get confused with these.
Some examples of ○○先、○○元 words would be appreciated.

どうぞよろしくお願いします。
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2011-06-29T02:23:48.600
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2011-06-29T05:06:14.707
2011-06-29T02:58:10.913
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question
word-choice usage kanji
What is the usage of 先 vs. 元?
If anything, they're more like antonyms. 先 denotes 'destination', while 元
denotes 'source', or 'beginning', or 'essence'.

先:

  * 宛先, 届け先: delivery address
  * 行き先: destination (of a trip)

元:

  * 根元: by the root (e.g. of a tree)
  * 元値: "beginning price" (original price paid by retailer).
  * 元素： (chemical) element.
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2011-06-29T05:06:14.707
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2011-06-29T05:06:14.707
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answer