Writing
以前 (yǐqián) — how to say "before" in Chinese
以前
Before, previously
noun
Character composition
以
by means of
前
front, before
Radicals / Keys
人
Man
#9 · rén · 2 strokes
刀
Knife
#18 · dāo · 2 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
很久以前
hěn jiǔ yǐqián
a long time ago
以前的事
yǐqián de shì
past events
以前住过
yǐqián zhù guo
used to live
Examples
和以前相比，这里的变化很大。
Compared to before, the changes here are big.
我以前住在北京。
I used to live in Beijing.
Mnemonic
[yǐqián-] Yeti 🦣 once, before 以前, guarded the entrance of a cave with a sign that read "by means of 以" and "before 前 entrance forbidden". Each time a traveler approached, Yeti placed them in front of 以前 the cave, reminding everyone that it was once safe there.
Frequently asked questions
Before in Chinese language
"before" in Chinese is 以前 (yǐqián).
以前 meaning in English
以前 (yǐqián) means "Before, previously".
How is 以前 pronounced?
It is pronounced yǐqián (written as yiqian). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "before" in Chinese characters?
It is written 以前: 以 has 4 strokes, 前 has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 以前?
以前 belongs to the HSK 3 vocabulary list.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
Add 以前 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.