前: front

 

前 qián

noun
: front; in front of, forward; ahead; first; future; ago; before; former

Kun Reading

前 | まえ mae

adverbial noun | temporal noun | suffix
: ago; before (some event); previously; (minutes) to (the hour)
: in front (of); before (e.g. the house)
: head (of a line); front (e.g. of a bus); fore part
: in the presence of
: helping; portion
: privates; private parts

前 | さき saki

noun
: previous; prior; former; some time ago; preceding
: point (e.g. pencil); tip; end; nozzle
: head (of a line); front
: ahead; the other side
: the future; hereafter
: destination
: the other party

前に | まえに maeni

adverb
: ahead; before; ago

お前 | おまえ omae OR おまい omai OR おめえ omee

adverb
: (Familiar language) (Male term or language) you (formerly honorific, now sometimes derog. term referring to an equal or inferior)
: presence (of a god, nobleman, etc.)

 Usage:

前途 qian2tu2: prospects; future outlook; journey
[ぜんと lento: future; prospects; outlook; journey ahead]

前天 qian2tian1: the day before yesterday

前年 qian2nian2: the year before last
[ぜんねん zennen: the previous year; last year]

前進[进] qian2jin4: to go forwards; to advance
[ぜんしん zenshin: advance; drive; progress]

前後[后] qian2hou4: around; from beginning to end

[前後 | ぜんご zengo: : front and rear; front and back; before and behind
: before and after
: order; context
: consequences;
: inversion; reversion; getting out of order
: co-occurring
: around; about; approximately; nearly]

目前 mu4qian2: at the present time; currently
[もくぜん mokuzen: before one’s very eyes; under one’s nose; imminence; close at hand]

到目前為[为]止 dao4 mu4 qian2 wei2 zhi3: until now; so far

以前 yi3qian2: before; formerly; ago
[いぜん ago; since; before; previous]

以前に | いぜんに: ago; since; before; previously; heretofore; earlier

從[从]前 cong2qian2: previously; formerly; once upon a time
[従前 | じゅうぜん juuzen]

[昔々 | むかしむかし mukashi mukashi: long ago; once upon at time]

當[当]前 dang1qian2: current; today’s; modern; present; to be facing (us)

之前 zhi1qian2: before; prior to; ago; previously; beforehand

眼前 yan3qian2: before one’s eyes; now; at present
[がんぜん ganzen]

事前 shi4qian2: in advance; before the event; prior
[じぜん jizen]

午前 wu3qian2: morning; a.m. [ごぜん gozen]

午後 [后] wu3 hou4: afternoon; p.m. [ごご gogo]

紀元前 [纪元前] ji4 yuan2 qian2: before the common era; BC; BCE
[きげんぜん kigenzen]

西元前 xi1 yuan2 qian2: BCE (before the Common Era); BC (before Christ)

Japanese common word / expression / idiom
お前こそ | おまえこそ omae koso
: same to you; back at you; you too
: you; you, indeed

名前 | なまえ namae: full name; first name

手前 | てめえ temee OR てまえ temae
: (kana only) (vulgar) (masculine speech) you
: oneself
: we

駅前 | えきまえ ekimae: in front of station

目の前に | めのまえに me no mae ni: before one’s eyes

ずっと前に | ずっとまえに zutto maeni: a long time ago

*前虎後狼 | ぜんここうろう zen koko u rou
: one calamity followed close on the heels of another; out of the frying pan into the fire; tiger in front, wolf in the back

後門の虎前門の狼 | こうもんのとらぜんもんのおおかみ koumon no tora zenmon no ookami
OR
前門の虎後門の狼 | ぜんもんのとらこうもんのおおかみ zenmon no tora koumon no ookami
: between the devil and the deep sea; out of the frying pan into the fire

門前の小僧 | もんぜんのこぞう monzen no kozou
OR
門前の小僧習わぬ経を読む | もんぜんのこぞうならわぬきょうをよむ monzen no kozou narawanu kyou o yomu
: you learn, without realizing it, from what is around you; a young monk outside the gate (can read sutras he has never studied)

大事の前の小事 | だいじのまえのしょうじ daiji no mae no shouji
: Lose a fly to catch a trout; small sacrifice in a great cause

**夜明け前が一番暗い | よあけまえがいちばんくらい yoakemae ga ichiban kurai
: it’s always darkest before the dawn; the darkest hour is just before the dawn

幸運の女神は前髪しかない | こううんのめがみはまえがみしかない kouun no megami wa mae gami shikanai
: opportunity only knocks once; strike while the iron is hot

前を失礼します | まえをしつれいします mae o shitsurei shimasu
: (polite language) excuse me (when passing in front of somebody)

***前車の覆るは後車の戒め | ぜんしゃのくつがえるはこうしゃのいましめ zensha no kutsugaeru wa kousha no imashime
: Learn wisdom from the follies of others

Chinese idiom
前因後[后]果[后] qian2 yin1 hou4 guo3
: cause and effects; entire process of development

勇往直前 yong3 wang3 zhi2 qian2
: to advance bravely

*前怕狼後[后]怕虎 qian2 pa4 lang2 hou4 pa4 hu3
: lit. to fear the wolf in front and the tiger behind; fig. needless fears; scare mongering; reds under the beds
OR
前門打虎，後門打狼 [前门打虎，后门打狼] qian2 men2 da3 hu3 , hou4 men2 da3 lang2
: to beat a tiger from the front door, only to have a wolf come in at the back; fig. facing one problem after another

**黎明前的黑暗 li2 ming2 qian2 de5 hei1 an4
: darkness comes before dawn; things can only get better

各人自掃門前雪，莫管他家瓦上霜 [各人自扫门前雪，莫管他家瓦上霜] ge4 ren2 zi4 sao3 men2 qian2 xue3 , mo4 guan3 ta1 jia1 wa3 shang4 shuang1
: sweep the snow from your own door step, don’t worry about the frost on your neighbor’s roof

前不見古人，後不見來者 [前不见古人，后不见来者] qian2 bu4 jian4 gu3 ren2 , hou4 bu4 jian4 lai2 zhe3
: unique; unprecedented

***前車之覆，後車之鑒 [前车之覆，后车之鉴] qian2 che1 zhi1 fu4 , hou4 che1 zhi1 jian4
: lit. the cart in front overturns, a warning to the following cart; fig. draw lesson from the failure of one’s predecessor; learn from past mistake; once bitten twice shy

車到山前必有路，船到橋頭自然直 [车到山前必有路，船到桥头自然直] che1 dao4 shan1 qian2 bi4 you3 lu4 , chuan2 dao4 qiao2 tou2 zi4 ran2 zhi2
: When you get to the mountain, there’ll be a way through and when the boat gets to the pier-head, it will go straight with the current (common saying). fig. Everything will turn out for the best. Let’s worry about it when it happens.