Meaning of 之前
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- before
- prior to
- ago
- previously
- beforehand
How to use 之前
之前 usually comes after a time, event, or verb phrase to mean "before that point," and it can also stand alone to mean "previously." Example: 睡觉之前别喝咖啡。(Shuìjiào zhīqián bié hē kāfēi.) Don't drink coffee before going to sleep.
之 (zhī) is a linking word like "of," and 前 (qián) means "front" or "before." Put together, 之前 is "the time in front of" something, so it means before.
Common mistake: English speakers often put it first, as in 之前睡觉, but the event must come before 之前: 睡觉之前. Also do not confuse it with 目前 (mùqián), which means "currently," not "before."
之前 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
之 zhī · possessive particle · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
前 qián · front · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 之前.
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 前边 | qiánbian | front; the front side |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly |
| 面前 | miànqián | in front of; facing |
| 前年 | qiánnián | the year before last |
| 目前 | mùqián | at the present time; currently |
| 前面 | qiánmiàn | ahead; in front |
| 前进 | qiánjìn | to go forward; to forge ahead |
| 前往 | qiánwǎng | to leave for; to proceed towards; to go to |
| 眼前 | yǎnqián | before one's eyes; now |
| 提前 | tíqián | to shift to an earlier date; to do sth ahead of time |
| 从前 | cóngqián | previously; formerly |
Questions about 之前
What does 之前 mean?
之前 (zhīqián) means "before; prior to" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 之前?
之前 is made of 2 characters: 之 (3 strokes), 前 (9 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 之前 an HSK word?
Yes. 之前 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 之前 and 以前?
They often swap freely, as in 三天之前 or 三天以前 (three days ago). 以前 is more common alone for "in the past, formerly," while 之前 feels a bit more tied to a specific point or event.
How do I say "after" in the same pattern?
Use 之后 (zhīhòu) in the same position: 下课之后 (xiàkè zhīhòu) means after class. The structure is the same, with the event first and 之后 at the end.