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之前

Mandarin · pinyin zhī qián

before
prior to
ago
previously
beforehand

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Characters in this entry

之: zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
前: qián · in front, forward; preceding

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2 · zhi1 qian2

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi1 cin4

Cantonese word readings for 之前. 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

before; in front of; ahead of
(placed sentence-initially) before; previously

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

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