之前

zhī qián

HSK 3.0 Level 4 Noun Very common

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Definitions

1. before
2. prior to
3. ago
4. previously
5. beforehand

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 之后 zhī hòu 之后 zhī hòu after; behind 之后 means 'after', the direct temporal opposite of 之前.: after; behind

Related words

2 items

• 事先 shì xiān 事先 shì xiān in advance 事先 means 'in advance' or 'beforehand', similar to 之前 but used in contexts like preparation.: in advance
• 从前 cóng qián 从前 cóng qián 从前 means 'once upon a time' or 'formerly', referring to a more distant past.: 从前 means 'once upon a time' or 'formerly', referring to a more distant past.

Synonyms

1 item

• 以前 yǐ qián 以前 yǐ qián before Both mean 'before' in a temporal sense; 之前 is more formal and often used with a reference point, while 以前 is more colloquial and can stand alone.: before

Usage notes

Collocations

之前 often follows a time word or event, e.g., 三天之前 (three days ago), 吃饭之前 (before eating).

Common mistakes

Don't confuse 之前 (before) with 以前 (before). 之前 requires a reference point and sounds more precise, while 以前 can be vague.

Example Sentences

2 shown

做决定 之前 ，我们需要考虑利害关系。

Before making a decision, we need to consider the pros and cons.

肯 之前 去過英國。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 862858)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 之前

• 在此之前 在此之前 zài cǐ zhī qián: before that
• 在这之前 在这之前 zài zhè zhī qián: before then

Child Words of 之前

• 之 之 zhī: (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de])
• 前 前 qián: front