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前人

Mandarin · pinyin qián rén

predecessor
forebears
the person facing you

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Characters in this entry

前: qián · in front, forward; preceding
人: rén · man; people; mankind; someone else

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–2 · qian2 ren2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 5 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cin4 jan4

Cantonese word readings for 前人. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun · Etymology 1

the ancients; people from ancient times; forefathers
predecessor
someone referred to above
someone whom one is facing; someone who is in front

noun · Etymology 2

(Southern Min) ex-wife

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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