从前
cóng qián
Pinyin

Definition

从前
 - 
cóng qián
  1. previously
  2. formerly
  3. once upon a time

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

之前
zhī qián
  1. 1 before
  2. 2 prior to
  3. 3 ago
  4. 4 previously
  5. 5 beforehand
以前
yǐ qián
  1. 1 before
  2. 2 formerly
  3. 3 previous
  4. 4 ago
前
qián
  1. 1 front
  2. 2 forward
  3. 3 ahead
  4. 4 first
  5. 5 top (followed by a number)
  6. 6 future
  7. 7 ago
  8. 8 before
  9. 9 BC (e.g. 前293年)
  10. 10 former
  11. 11 formerly
前世
qián shì
  1. 1 previous generations
  2. 2 previous incarnation (Buddhism)
前来
qián lái
  1. 1 to come (formal)
  2. 2 before
  3. 3 previously
前夕
qián xī
  1. 1 eve
  2. 2 the day before
前夜
qián yè
  1. 1 the eve
  2. 2 the night before
前天
qián tiān
  1. 1 the day before yesterday
前奏
qián zòu
  1. 1 prelude
  2. 2 presage
前妻
qián qī
  1. 1 ex-wife
  2. 2 late wife
前年
qián nián
  1. 1 the year before last
前往
qián wǎng
  1. 1 to leave for
  2. 2 to proceed towards
  3. 3 to go
前后
qián hòu
  1. 1 around
  2. 2 from beginning to end
  3. 3 all around
  4. 4 front and rear
前所未有
qián suǒ wèi yǒu
  1. 1 unprecedented
前提
qián tí
  1. 1 premise
  2. 2 precondition
  3. 3 prerequisite
前方
qián fāng
  1. 1 ahead
  2. 2 the front
前景
qián jǐng
  1. 1 foreground
  2. 2 vista
  3. 3 (future) prospects
  4. 4 perspective
前期
qián qī
  1. 1 preceding period
  2. 2 early stage
前程
qián chéng
  1. 1 future (career etc) prospects
前者
qián zhě
  1. 1 the former

Idioms (20)

一往无前
yī wǎng wú qián
  1. 1 to advance courageously (idiom)
  2. 2 to press forward
不听老人言，吃亏在眼前
bù tīng lǎo rén yán , chī kuī zài yǎn qián
  1. 1 (idiom) ignore your elders at your peril
不顾前后
bù gù qián hòu
  1. 1 regardless of what's before or after (idiom); rushing blindly into sth
五百年前是一家
wǔ bǎi nián qián shì yī jiā
  1. 1 five hundred years ago we were the same family (idiom) (said of persons with the same surname)
停滞不前
tíng zhì bù qián
  1. 1 stuck and not moving forward (idiom); stagnant
  2. 2 in a rut
  3. 3 at a standstill
光前裕后
guāng qián yù hòu
  1. 1 to bring honor to one's ancestors and benefit future generations (idiom)
前不着村，后不着店
qián bù zháo cūn , hòu bù zháo diàn
  1. 1 lit. no village ahead and no inn behind (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to be stranded in the middle of nowhere
  3. 3 to be in a predicament
前不见古人，后不见来者
qián bù jiàn gǔ rén , hòu bù jiàn lái zhě
  1. 1 unique
  2. 2 unprecedented (idiom)
前世姻缘
qián shì yīn yuán
  1. 1 a marriage predestined in a former life (idiom)
前事不忘，后事之师
qián shì bù wàng , hòu shì zhī shī
  1. 1 don't forget past events, they can guide you in future (idiom); benefit from past experience
前人栽树，后人乘凉
qián rén zāi shù , hòu rén chéng liáng
  1. 1 to enjoy the benefits of the hard work of one's predecessors. (idiom)
前仆后继
qián pū hòu jì
  1. 1 one falls, the next follows (idiom); stepping into the breach to replace fallen comrades
  2. 2 advancing wave upon wave
前倨后恭
qián jù hòu gōng
  1. 1 to switch from arrogance to deference (idiom)
前功尽弃
qián gōng jìn qì
  1. 1 to waste all one's previous efforts (idiom)
  2. 2 all that has been achieved goes down the drain
前因后果
qián yīn hòu guǒ
  1. 1 cause and effects (idiom); entire process of development
前怕狼后怕虎
qián pà láng hòu pà hǔ
  1. 1 lit. to fear the wolf in front and the tiger behind (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to be full of needless fears
  3. 3 reds under the beds
前缘未了
qián yuán wèi liǎo
  1. 1 one's predestined fate is yet to be fulfilled (idiom)
前赴后继
qián fù hòu jì
  1. 1 to advance dauntlessly in wave upon wave (idiom)
前车之覆，后车之鉴
qián chē zhī fù , hòu chē zhī jiàn
  1. 1 lit. the cart in front overturns, a warning to the following cart (idiom); fig. draw lesson from the failure of one's predecessor
  2. 2 learn from past mistake
  3. 3 once bitten twice shy
前车之鉴
qián chē zhī jiàn
  1. 1 to learn a lesson from the mistakes of one's predecessor (idiom)

Sample Sentences

这倒是，从前大家结婚就买个金戒指，既经济又实惠。而且我们传统上也更喜欢颜色喜庆一点儿的宝石，比如翡翠什么的。
zhè dàoshì ，cóngqián dàjiā jiéhūn jiù mǎi ge jīn jièzhi ，jì jīngjì yòu shíhuì 。érqiě wǒmen chuántǒng shàng yě gèng xǐhuan yánsè xǐqìng yīdiǎnr5 de bǎoshí ，bǐrú fěicuì shénme de 。
That is true. In the past, everyone just bought a gold ring when they got married. It was economical and had a tangible benefit. And traditionally, we liked gems with happy colors, like jadeite and such.
Go to Lesson 
你从前总是很小心
nǐ cóngqián zǒngshì hěn xiǎoxīn
You always took such care
Go to Lesson 
从前的日子都远去
cóngqián de rìzi dōu yuǎn qù
Those days before are long gone
Go to Lesson 
好。从前，有三只可爱的小猪……
hǎo 。cóngqián ，yǒu sān zhī kě ài de xiǎo zhū ……
Okay. Once upon a time, there were three cute little pigs...
Go to Lesson 
从前，有一位单身汉。他非常勤劳，每天都去地里干活。
cóngqián ，yǒu yī wèi dānshēnhàn 。tā fēicháng qínláo ，měitiān dōu qù dì lǐ gànhuó 。
Once upon a time there was a bachelor. He was very industrious. Every day he went out to work in the fields.
Go to Lesson 
从前
cóngqián
long ago
Go to Lesson 
从前"一般用在讲故事的开头。
cóngqián "yībān yòng zài jiǎng gùshi de kāitóu 。
'从前' is usually used in the beginning of a story.
Go to Lesson 
从前有座山，山上有座庙。庙里有一个老和尚和一个小和尚。老和尚对小和尚说："从前有座山，山上有座庙。..."
cóngqián yǒu zuò shān ，shān shàng yǒu zuò miào 。miào lǐ yǒu yī ge lǎo héshang hé yī ge xiǎo héshang 。lǎo héshang duì xiǎo héshang shuō ："cóngqián yǒu zuò shān ，shān shàng yǒu zuò miào 。..."
Long ago, there was a mountain. On the mountain, there was a temple. In the temple there was an old monk, and a young monk. The old monk said to the young monk, 'Long ago, there was a mountain. On the mountain there was a temple'...
Go to Lesson 
老和尚对小和尚说，从前有座山，山上有座庙，庙里有个老和尚和小和尚......
lǎo héshang duì xiǎo héshang shuō ，cóngqián yǒu zuò shān ，shān shàng yǒu zuò miào ，miào lǐ yǒu ge lǎo héshang hé xiǎo héshang ......
The old monk said to the young monk: A long time ago there was a mountain. On the mountain there was a temple. In the temple there was an old monk and a young monk….
Go to Lesson 
老和尚对小和尚说，从前有座山，山上有座庙，庙里有个老和尚和小和尚。
lǎo héshang duì xiǎo héshang shuō ，cóngqián yǒu zuò shān ，shān shàng yǒu zuò miào ，miào lǐ yǒu ge lǎo héshang hé xiǎo héshang 。
The old monk said to the young monk: A long time ago there was a mountain. On the mountain there was a temple. In the temple there was an old monk and a young monk.
Go to Lesson