眼前 meaning in English

yǎnqián

before one's eyes; now

HSK 3noun20 strokes

Meaning of 眼前

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

yǎnqián

before one's eyes
now
at present

How to use 眼前

眼前 can describe a physical place, like something appearing in front of you, or a time, meaning the present moment or the immediate situation. It often appears in phrases like 眼前的问题 (the problem at hand) or 只看眼前 (only look at the short term). Example: 眼前的困难只是暂时的。 (Yǎnqián de kùnnan zhǐshì zànshí de.) The difficulties we face now are only temporary.

眼 (yǎn) means eye and 前 (qián) means front, so 眼前 is what sits right in front of your eyes. What is right in front of your eyes is also what is happening now.

Common mistake: Learners often use 眼前 and 面前 (miànqián) the same way, but 面前 is for being in front of a person, as in 在老师面前 (in front of the teacher), while 眼前 focuses on what you see or on the present. Also, 眼 is third tone, so in 眼前 it keeps a low dip before the rising 前.

眼前 in example sentences

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

他tā们men在zài她tā眼yǎn前qián脱tuō下xià我wǒ的de衣yī服fú。

They took off my clothes in front of her eyes.

飞fēi机jī起qǐ飞fēi后hòu，很hěn快kuài就jiù消xiāo失shī在zài了le眼yǎn前qián。

The plane took off and was soon out of sight.

我wǒ不bù敢gǎn相xiāng信xìn眼yǎn前qián发fā生shēng的de这zhè一yī切qiè。

I cannot believe what's happening in front of my eyes.

元yuán旦dàn就jiù在zài眼yǎn前qián。

New Year's Day is close at hand.

你nǐ精jīng疲pí力lì竭jié的de面miàn孔kǒng有yǒu时shí会huì出chū现xiàn在zài我wǒ眼yǎn前qián。

Sometimes that tired-out face of yours appears in front of my eyes.

Stroke order for each character

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

眼 yǎn · eye · 11 strokes

前 qián · front · 9 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 眼前.

前天	qiántiān	the day before yesterday
前边	qiánbian	front; the front side
以前	yǐqián	before; formerly
眼睛	yǎnjing	eye
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
提前	tíqián	to shift to an earlier date; to do sth ahead of time
从前	cóngqián	previously; formerly

Questions about 眼前

What does 眼前 mean?

眼前 (yǎnqián) means "before one's eyes; now" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 眼前?

眼前 is made of 2 characters: 眼 (11 strokes), 前 (9 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.

Is 眼前 an HSK word?

Yes. 眼前 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

Is 眼前 the same as 现在 (xiànzài)?

Both can mean now, but 现在 is the neutral everyday word for the current time. 眼前 stresses the immediate situation or short-term view, often with a sense that the future is not being considered.

What does 眼前利益 mean?

眼前利益 (yǎnqián lìyì) means short-term benefits or immediate interests. It is often used critically, as in 不要只看眼前利益 (don't only look at short-term gains).