How to say “before” in Chinese
before (lit.)
“Before” in Chinese is 之前, zhī qián: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
之前 is read zhī 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
In literary Chinese it works like 的. It lives in 之前, 之后, 之间.
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 “之前”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 之前. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 面试之前，我准备了很久。miànshìzhīqián,wǒzhǔnbèilehěnjiǔBefore the interview I prepared for a long time.
- 请在五号之前提交材料qǐngzàiwǔhàozhīqiántíjiāocáiliàoPlease submit the documents before the fifth.
More words from the lesson “Before and after”
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 之前, pinyin zhīqián.
What does 之前 mean?
之前 (zhīqián) means “before (lit.)”.
How do you write 之前?
之前 is 2 characters: 之 (zhī) — literary possessive particle; 前 (qián) — front, ahead. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 之前?
之前 is read zhīqián. Tones: zhī — first tone, qián — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“before” in the lesson “Before and after”
This word is from the topic “Profession and plans” of HSK 4. 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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