before in Chinese
yǐ qián ·before; previously; ago ·13 strokes HSK 3
before in Chinese is 以前, pronounced yǐ qián.
How to write 以前
Animated stroke order. Tap a character to replay its stroke order.
Stroke order of 以
Stroke order of 前
HSK level
HSK 3以前 is listed in the official HSK vocabulary at HSK 3. An intermediate band: enough vocabulary for everyday conversation and travel.
以前 in a sentence
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我 以 前 住 在 上 海 。I used to live in Shanghai.
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三 天 以 前 我 们 见 过 。We met three days ago.
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吃 饭 以 前 要 洗 手 。Wash your hands before eating.
以前 vs 以后 vs 之前
Similar and easily confused words, and how they differ.
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Mirror pair — 以前 'before/ago', 以后 'after/later'. Both attach after a time or event: 吃饭以前 'before eating'.
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之前 zhī qián before; prior to
Near-synonym: 之前 is 'before' relative to an event (三天之前); 以前 can also name 'the past' generally — 我以前住上海 'I used to live in Shanghai'.