Meaning of 前边
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- front
- the front side
- in front of
How to use 前边
前边 works like a place word. It often follows a noun with 在 to say something is in front of it, or stands alone to mean up ahead. Example: 学校在银行前边。(Xuéxiào zài yínháng qiánbian.) The school is in front of the bank.
前 (qián) means front or forward, and 边 (bian) means side. Put them together and you get the front side, the place ahead of you.
Common mistake: Learners often put 前边 before the noun, as in English, and say 在前边银行. In Chinese the reference noun comes first: 在银行前边. Also, 边 here is usually said in the neutral tone, so say qiánbian, not qiánbiān.
前边 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
边 biān · side · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 前边.
| 那边 | nàbiān | over there; yonder |
| 这边 | zhèbiān | this side; here |
| 一边 | yībiān | one side; either side |
| 旁边 | pángbiān | side; adjacent place |
| 左边 | zuǒbian | left; the left side |
| 右边 | yòubian | right side; right, to the right |
| 里边 | lǐbian | inside |
| 北边 | běibian | north; north side |
| 外边 | wàibian | outside; outer surface |
| 南边 | nánbian | south; south side |
| 东边 | dōngbian | east; east side |
| 西边 | xībian | west; west side |
Questions about 前边
What does 前边 mean?
前边 (qiánbian) means "front; the front side" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 前边?
前边 is made of 2 characters: 前 (9 strokes), 边 (5 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 前边 an HSK word?
Yes. 前边 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 前边 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 前边 is written 前邊.
What is the difference between 前边 and 前面?
They mean the same thing and are usually interchangeable. 前面 (qiánmiàn) is a bit more common in writing, while 前边 sounds slightly more casual and is very common in northern speech.
Can 前边 refer to time, like earlier?
Yes, it can mean earlier in a text or sequence, as in 前边说过 (qiánbian shuō guo), mentioned above. For time in general, such as before or ago, Chinese usually uses 以前 (yǐqián) instead.