之前
zhīqián
In Chinese, the word for 'earlier' is 之前 (zhīqián).
之前 is an adverb meaning previously, before now or sooner.
Meaning: previously, before now, sooner (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 之前 is composed of 之, which is a possessive particle and 前, meaning 'front' or 'before', literally translating to 'of before'.
Which one should you use?
Both 之前 and 以前 can be translated as 'before', but they are used differently. 之前 is more commonly used to refer to a specific point in time or a specific event, while 以前 is often used more broadly to refer to 'in the past' or 'long ago'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, 之前 can be placed directly after a verb or a time expression to indicate that an action happened before that point.
How do you pronounce it?
zhīqián
Did you know?
- The character 前 is used in the word for 'front' or 'ahead', showing that Chinese conceptualizes the past as something that is 'in front' of the current point when looking back at a timeline.
- The particle 之 in 之前 is a remnant of Classical Chinese and is rarely used in modern spoken Chinese except in specific fixed phrases like this one.
- While 之前 marks a point in time, the word 前 can also describe a person's former role, such as 前总统 for 'former president'.
Examples in context
- 我之前在撒谎。I was lying earlier.This sentence is useful for showing how to use 之前 to describe a past action.Tatoeba #8501401 by maxine, translation #2548387 by CK
- 早些时候 ，我们讨论了这个问题。Earlier, we discussed this issue.
- 刚才 ，我刚刚在网上看到这个消息。Just now, I saw this news online.
- 我之前去过那里。Wǒ zhīqián qùguò nàlǐ.I have been there before.
- 你之前见过他吗？Nǐ zhīqián jiànguò tā ma?Have you seen him earlier?
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Yuting are discussing a meeting they had.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你之前见过王先生吗？Nǐ zhīqián jiànguò Wáng xiānsheng ma?Have you seen Mr. Wang earlier?
- 雨婷 Yuting我之前见过他一次。Wǒ zhīqián jiànguò tā yīcì.I saw him once before.
- 志强 Zhiqiang他之前很热情。Tā zhīqián hěn rèqíng.He was very warm earlier.
- 雨婷 Yuting现在他看起来很累。Xiànzài tā kàn qǐlái hěn lèi.Now he looks very tired.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
