Meaning of 面前
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- in front of
- facing
- (in the) presence (of)
How to use 面前
面前 usually follows a person or thing, often with 在 before it: 在 + someone + 面前. It can describe physical position or being in someone's presence, like speaking in front of others. Example: 他在老师面前很紧张。(Tā zài lǎoshī miànqián hěn jǐnzhāng.) He is nervous in front of the teacher.
面 (miàn) means face, and 前 (qián) means front. What is 面前 is right in front of your face, so it means in front of someone or in their presence.
Common mistake: Learners often use 面前 for the front part of an object or place, but that is 前边 (qiánbian) or 前面 (qiánmiàn), as in 学校前边 (in front of the school). 面前 is mostly used with people, or with things directly facing someone, like problems or choices.
面前 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.
面 miàn · face · 9 strokes
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前 qián · front · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 面前.
| 见面 | jiànmiàn | to meet; to see each other |
| 面包 | miànbāo | bread |
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 前边 | qiánbian | front; the front side |
| 面条儿 | miàntiáor | erhua variant of 麵條|面条[mian4 tiao2] |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly |
| 方面 | fāngmiàn | respect; aspect |
| 对面 | duìmiàn | opposite; across (the street etc); directly in front of one; up ahead |
| 前年 | qiánnián | the year before last |
| 方便面 | fāngbiànmiàn | instant noodles |
| 里面 | lǐmiàn | inside; interior |
| 外面 | wàimiàn | outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense); surface |
Questions about 面前
What does 面前 mean?
面前 (miànqián) means "in front of; facing" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 面前?
面前 is made of 2 characters: 面 (9 strokes), 前 (9 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 面前 an HSK word?
Yes. 面前 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 面前 and 前面?
前面 (qiánmiàn) is a general location word for the front or ahead, used for places, objects, and order, such as 前面有一家店 (there is a shop ahead). 面前 focuses on what is directly facing a person, as in 我面前 (in front of me). The two characters are the same but in reverse order, so be careful.
Can 面前 be used in an abstract sense?
Yes. It often appears with challenges or situations a person faces, for example 在困难面前 (zài kùnnan miànqián), meaning in the face of difficulties. This is common in writing and speeches.