How to Say "Last Year" in Chinese

去年

qùnián

In Chinese, the phrase for last year is 去年 (qùnián).

去年 is used to refer to the year immediately preceding the current one.

Meaning: year before this one (adv)

What does it mean word for word?

The word 去年 is composed of 去, meaning gone or past and 年, meaning year.

While 去年 refers to last year, the term 前年 is used to refer to the year before last.

In Chinese, time expressions like 去年 are typically placed at the very beginning of the sentence or before the verb.

qùnián

The character 年 originally depicted a person carrying a bundle of grain on their back, symbolizing the end of a growing season.
Because 去 means 'to go', you can also use it in phrases to describe people leaving, such as in the term for 'the deceased', which is 去世.
In Chinese, you can create a sequence of past years by adding 前 to the front, such as 前年 for the year before last and 大前年 for three years ago.

她去年出生。
She was born last year.
This sentence is useful for showing the use of 去年 in the context of birth.
Tatoeba #5907629 by verdastelo9604, translation #313842 by CK
去年他转校了。
He changed schools last year.
This sentence is useful for showing the use of 去年 in the context of changing schools.
Tatoeba #7771679 by jiangche, translation #296931 by CK
我們去年搬家了。
We moved house last year.
This sentence is useful for showing the use of 去年 in the context of moving house.
Tatoeba #2737431 by egg0073, translation #2737520 by sundown
我去年在北京旅行了两个月。
I traveled to Beijing for two months last year.
我们的销售额在上一年超过了预期。
Our sales exceeded expectations in the previous year.
去年这个时候，我们正在一起过圣诞节。
This time last year, we were celebrating Christmas together.
去年的今天，我去了一个很美丽的海滩。
On this day last year, I went to a beautiful beach.
92 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are talking about their travel experiences.

晓雯 Xiaowen

你去年去哪儿旅游了？
Nǐ qùnián qù nǎ'er lǚyóu le?
Where did you travel to last year?
浩然 Haoran

我去年去了日本。
Wǒ qùnián qùle Rìběn.
I went to Japan last year.
晓雯 Xiaowen

那里好玩吗？
Nàlǐ hǎowán ma?
Was it fun there?
浩然 Haoran

非常漂亮，我也很喜欢。
Fēicháng piàoliang, wǒ yě hěn xǐhuān.
It was very beautiful, and I liked it a lot.

Sources

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