之前

**Etymology of 之前**The Chinese word 之前 (zhīqián) is composed of two characters: 之 (zhī) and 前 (qián). The character 之 (zhī) is a pronoun that means "it" or "this". The character 前 (qián) means "before" or "in front of". Together, the two characters 之前 (zhīqián) mean "before this" or "up to now".The word 之前 (zhīqián) is often used in Chinese to refer to a period of time that ended in the past. For example, the sentence "我之前在中国住过" (wǒ zhīqián zài zhōngguó zhùguò) means "I lived in China before". The word 之前 (zhīqián) can also be used to refer to a point in time in the past. For example, the sentence "我之前在北京工作过" (wǒ zhīqián zài běijīng gōngzuòguò) means "I worked in Beijing before".The word 之前 (zhīqián) 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 used frequently in both spoken and written Chinese.