How to say “before” in Chinese
before, previously
“Before” in Chinese is 先前, xiān qián: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke.
How to pronounce it
先前 is read xiān qián: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
先生 means “born earlier”: a respectful way to address an elder.
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 “先前”.
More words from the lesson “At first and in past years”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “before” in Chinese?
“Before” in Chinese is 先前, pinyin xiānqián.
What does 先前 mean?
先前 (xiānqián) means “before, previously”.
How do you write 先前?
先前 is 2 characters: 先 (xiān) — first, before; 前 (qián) — front, ahead. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 先前?
先前 is read xiānqián. Tones: xiān — first tone, qián — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“before” in the lesson “At first and in past years”
This word is from the topic “Time and deadlines” of HSK 6. 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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