How to say “before this” in Chinese

此前
cǐqián

before this

noun · HSK 5 · topic “Time: when and how long”

“Before this” in Chinese is 此前, cǐ qián: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke.

How to pronounce it

此前 is read cǐ qián: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

cǐ — 3rd tonelow, dipping and rising a little
qián — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

How to write it

此
cǐ — this (literary)

A literary “this” — the same as 这.

前
qián — front, ahead

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “此前”.

More words from the lesson “Once, in the past”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “before this” in Chinese?

“Before this” in Chinese is 此前, pinyin cǐqián.

What does 此前 mean?

此前 (cǐqián) means “before this”.

How do you write 此前?

此前 is 2 characters: 此 (cǐ) — this (literary); 前 (qián) — front, ahead. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 此前?

此前 is read cǐqián. Tones: cǐ — third tone, qián — second tone. The page has an audio recording.

“before this” in the lesson “Once, in the past”

This word is from the topic “Time: when and how long” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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