HSK 6 · Time

先前 xiānqián “before” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 先前 means

  1. before
  2. previously

How to say 先前

  • Pitch chart of the first tone: stays high and level, 5 to 5 on the five-level scale先xiān1st tone, high and level
  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale前qián2nd tone, rising

先前 in a sentence

  1. 我先前在中国住了六个月。

    Wǒ xiānqián zài Zhōngguó zhù le liù ge yuè.

    I previously lived in China for six months.

    Sentence #3739154 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  2. 我们先前不知道要怎么做，所以才求助。

    Wǒmen xiānqián bù zhīdao yào zěnme zuò, suǒyǐ cái qiúzhù.

    At first we didn’t know how to do it, so we asked for help.

    Sentence #3709423 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  3. 不好意思，让我指出先前文章的三个错误。

    Bùhǎoyìsi, ràng wǒ zhǐchū xiānqián wénzhāng de sān ge cuòwù.

    Excuse me, let me point out three mistakes in the previous article.

    Sentence #1236352 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 先前 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 先 (xiān) drawn as one shape
先xiānbeforehand; first; earlier

先 is a single shape of 6 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

Memory aidA foot 止 out in front of a person 儿: ahead, first.

The character 前 (qián) with each of its parts in a different colour
前qiánfront
  • 丷eight form of 八 · bā
  • 一one · yī
  • 刖cutting off the feet as a form of punishment · yuè

How to write 先前

先 6 strokes · 前 9 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

先前 (xiānqián) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 先前 (xiānqián). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 先前

Words with 先

先生xiānsheng · mr先xiān · first首先shǒuxiān · first (of all)事先shìxiān · in advance祖先zǔxiān · ancestor原先yuánxiān · originally预先yùxiān · in advance领先lǐngxiān · to lead先进xiānjìn · advanced优先yōuxiān · priority

Words with 前

前qián · front前面qiánmiàn · front以前yǐqián · before面前miànqián · in front of前天qiántiān · the day before yesterday前年qiánnián · the year before last提前tíqián · to bring forward之前zhīqián · before从前cóngqián · previously目前mùqián · at the present time

More words: Time & Sequence

往常wǎngcháng · usually (in the past)往事wǎngshì · the past为期wéiqī · to last for (a period)向来xiànglái · always昔日xīrì · former days延期yánqī · to postpone延续yánxù · to continue一度yídù · once

FAQs

先前 (xiānqián) means “before” or “previously”. It is an HSK 6 word.
Say it xiānqián: xiān with a 1st tone, then qián with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 先前 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type xianqian with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 先前 from the suggestions. Typing xianqian into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
先前 is an HSK 6 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.