年前 meaning in English

niánqián

by the end of the year; at the end of the year; shortly before New Year

HSK 5noun15 strokes

Meaning of 年前

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

niánqián

by the end of the year
at the end of the year; shortly before New Year

How to use 年前

年前 usually refers to the days or weeks before Chinese New Year, and people use it to talk about plans or deadlines that must be done before the holiday. It often pairs with 年后 (niánhòu), after New Year. Example: 这个项目年前一定要完成。(Zhège xiàngmù niánqián yīdìng yào wánchéng.) This project must be finished before New Year.

年 (nián) means year and 前 (qián) means before, so 年前 is the time just before the year turns over. Picture yourself standing in front of the New Year gate, finishing your last tasks before stepping through.

Common mistake: Learners confuse 年前 with 几年前 (jǐ nián qián) or 三年前 (sān nián qián), which mean a few years ago or three years ago. When a number comes before 年前, it means years ago. Alone, 年前 means before this coming New Year.

年前 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ三sān年nián前qián住zhù在zài日rì本běn。

I lived in Japan three years ago.

我wǒ十shí年nián前qián离lí开kāi日rì本běn。

I left Japan ten years ago.

他tā十shí年nián前qián去qù了le那nà里lǐ。

He went there ten years ago.

我wǒ出chū生shēng在zài二èr十shí年nián前qián。

I was born 20 years ago.

我wǒ三sān年nián前qián见jiàn过guò他tā。

I saw him three years ago.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

年 nián · year · 6 strokes

前 qián · front · 9 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 年前.

今年	jīnnián	this year
去年	qùnián	last year
明年	míngnián	next year
半年	bàn nián	half a year
新年	xīnnián	New Year
前天	qiántiān	the day before yesterday
前边	qiánbian	front; the front side
以前	yǐqián	before; formerly
年轻	niánqīng	young
面前	miànqián	in front of; facing
少年	shàonián	early youth; youngster
青年	qīngnián	youth; youthful years

Questions about 年前

What does 年前 mean?

年前 (niánqián) means "by the end of the year; at the end of the year; shortly before New Year" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 年前?

年前 is made of 2 characters: 年 (6 strokes), 前 (9 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.

Is 年前 an HSK word?

Yes. 年前 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

Does 年前 mean before January 1 or before Chinese New Year?

In everyday speech it usually means before the Spring Festival, since that is the main holiday in China. Context can make it mean the end of the calendar year, especially in business settings.

Can 年前 be used for the past?

Yes. You can say 去年年前 (qùnián niánqián) for the period before last year's New Year. It means the time before the holiday, past or future.