前

qián

HSK 1

前 — qián

1. front; the area in front of something

   房子前有一棵树。 fángzi qián yǒu yīkēshù — There is a tree in front of the house.

2. forward; ahead (movement or position)

   向前走，不要停。 xiàngqiánzǒu búyào tíng — Walk forward, don't stop.

3. first; top (used before a number or rank)

   前十名都有奖品。 qiánshímíng dōu yǒu jiǎngpǐn — The top ten all get prizes.

4. future (in compounds or contexts like 'the near future')

   前途光明。 qiántú guāngmíng — The future is bright.

5. ago; before (referring to past time); used in dates to mean BC

   三年前我去过北京。 sānnián qián wǒ qùguò běijīng — I went to Beijing three years ago.

6. former; previously

   他是公司的前经理。 tā shì gōngsī de qián jīnglǐ — He is the company's former manager.