Kilo Lingo

(yǐ qián) - before, previously, in the past in Mandarin

yǐqián

Traditional: 以前

Line drawing of 以前
Coloured illustration of 以前
HSK 3
#307 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

before, previously, in the past

Word origin

A compound of 以 (yǐ, 'from, by') and 前 (qián, 'before, front'), meaning 'previously'. 前 in its older analysis combines a foot element over a boat, suggesting forward movement.

Origin
compound
Root
以 (yǐ, 'from') + 前 (qián, 'before, front')

Stroke order

Stroke order for 以

以

Stroke order for 前

前

Examples

乡xiāng。

I used to live in the countryside.

。

This is much better than before.

。

I didn't like eating fish before.

。

There used to be a small park here.

。

Do not drink coffee before going to bed.

以前 (yǐ qián) - before, previously, in the past.

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Used in

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Mandarin · Free printables

以前: worksheet, infographic and listicle

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This word is part of lesson 7.