Meaning of 前后
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- around
- from beginning to end
- all around
- front and rear
How to use 前后
前后 is often placed after a time or event to mean "around" that time, like 春节前后 (around Spring Festival). It can also describe the whole span from start to finish, or the front and rear of something. Example: 国庆节前后人很多。(Guóqìng Jié qiánhòu rén hěn duō.) There are a lot of people around National Day.
前 (qián) means front and 后 (hòu) means back, so 前后 (qiánhòu) literally covers everything from front to back. Picture standing in a line and looking both ahead and behind you.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes put 前后 before the time word, as in 前后五点. The correct order is 五点前后 (around five o'clock). Also note that 后 is fourth tone (hòu), not third tone.
前后 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.
前 qián · front · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
后 hòu · back · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 前后.
| 最后 | zuìhòu | final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end |
| 后天 | hòutiān | the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experie |
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 后边 | hòubian | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
| 前边 | qiánbian | front; the front side |
| 然后 | ránhòu | then; after that; afterwards |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after; later |
| 面前 | miànqián | in front of; facing |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
| 今后 | jīnhòu | hereafter; henceforth |
| 前年 | qiánnián | the year before last |
Questions about 前后
What does 前后 mean?
前后 (qiánhòu) means "around; from beginning to end" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 前后?
前后 is made of 2 characters: 前 (9 strokes), 后 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 前后 an HSK word?
Yes. 前后 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 前后 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 前后 is written 前後.
What is the difference between 前后 and 左右 when meaning "around"?
前后 usually follows a point in time or an event, like 中秋节前后. 左右 (zuǒyòu) is more common after numbers and amounts, like 五十个左右 (about fifty).
Can 前后 mean "in total" or "altogether"?
Yes, when it describes a whole span of time it can mean from beginning to end. For example, 他前后去了三次北京 means he went to Beijing three times in all.