先前

The Chinese word 先前 (xiānqián) is composed of two characters: 先 (xiān) and 前 (qián). 先 means "before" or "previously", while 前 means "front" or "forward". Together, 先前 means "beforehand" or "in advance".The word 先前 is first recorded in the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD). It is believed to have originated from the phrase 先於前 (xiān yú qián), which literally means "before the front". Over time, the phrase 先於前 was shortened to 先前.先前 is a commonly used word in modern Chinese. It can be used as an adverb, an adjective, or a noun. As an adverb, 先前 means "beforehand" or "in advance". For example, 你應該先前回來 (nǐ yīnggāi xiānqián huílái), which means "You should have come back earlier". As an adjective, 先前 means "previous" or "former". For example, 先前的政府 (xiānqián de zhèngfǔ), which means "the previous government". As a noun, 先前 means "the past" or "the former times". For example, 在先前，人們的生活很簡單 (zài xiānqián, rénmen de shēnghuó hěn jiǎndān), which means "In the past, people's lives were very simple".先前 is a versatile word that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is an important word for HSK learners to know, as it is frequently used in both spoken and written Chinese.