前

前 U+524D, 前
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-524D
← 剌
[U+524C] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 剎 →
[U+524E]

TranslingualEdit

Stroke order
 

Han characterEdit

前 (radical 18, 刀+7, 9 strokes, cangjie input 廿月中弓 (TBLN), four-corner 80221, composition ⿱䒑刖)

Derived charactersEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • KangXi: page 140, character 15
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 2011
  • Dae Jaweon: page 318, character 6
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 248, character 4
  • Unihan data for U+524D

ChineseEdit

Glyph originEdit

Historical forms of the character 前
Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions Chu Slip and silk script Qin slip script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
         
Characters in the same phonetic series (前) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
媊 *ʔslel, *ʔslenʔ
煎 *ʔslen, *ʔslens
湔 *ʔslen, *ʔslens, *ʔsleːn, *zleːn
鬋 *ʔslen, *ʔslenʔ, *ʔslens
剪 *ʔslenʔ
翦 *ʔslenʔ
譾 *ʔslenʔ
揃 *ʔslenʔ
箭 *ʔslens
葥 *ʔslens
前 *zleːn
騚 *zleːn
歬 *zleːn

Originally 歬, an ideogrammic compound (會意): 止 (“foot”) + 舟 (“boat”) – a foot on a boat moving forward. Alternatively, 舟 represents a shoe (cf. Shuowen 履: 舟象履形) — a foot with a shoe on to walk forward.

In the current form, 止 is simplified to 䒑 and 舟 to 月. The current form with an additional 刀 (“knife”) is the original form of 剪 (OC *ʔslenʔ, “to cut”).

Etymology 1Edit

simp. and trad.
 前
alternative forms 偂
歬
𠝣
𣥑
𣦃

Unknown (Schuessler, 2007).

PronunciationEdit

Note:
  • sèng - vernacular;
  • cièng - literary.
  • Min Nan
    • Note:
    • chêng/chûiⁿ/châiⁿ - vernacular;
    • chiân - literary;
    • chûn - vernacular (limited, e.g. 前年);
    • chân - vernacular (limited).
    Note:
    • zoin5 - Chaozhou, Shantou;
    • zain5 - Jieyang, Chaoyang, Puning, Huilai.
  • Wu
  • Xiang
    • Dialectal data
    Variety Location 前
    Mandarin Beijing /t͡ɕʰian³⁵/
    Harbin /t͡ɕʰian²⁴/ ～天
    /t͡ɕʰian²¹³/ 跟～兒
    Tianjin /t͡ɕʰian⁴⁵/
    Jinan /t͡ɕʰiã⁴²/
    Qingdao /t͡sʰiã⁴²/
    Zhengzhou /t͡sʰian⁴²/
    Xi'an /t͡ɕʰiã²⁴/
    Xining /t͡ɕʰiã²⁴/
    Yinchuan /t͡ɕʰian⁵³/
    Lanzhou /t͡ɕʰiɛ̃n⁵³/
    Ürümqi /t͡ɕʰian⁵¹/
    Wuhan /t͡ɕʰiɛn²¹³/
    Chengdu /t͡ɕʰian³¹/
    Guiyang /t͡ɕʰian²¹/
    Kunming /t͡ɕʰiɛ̃³¹/
    Nanjing /t͡sʰien²⁴/
    Hefei /t͡ɕʰiĩ⁵⁵/
    Jin Taiyuan /t͡ɕʰie¹¹/
    Pingyao /t͡ɕʰie̞¹³/
    /t͡ɕie̞¹³/
    Hohhot /t͡ɕʰie³¹/
    Wu Shanghai /ʑi²³/
    Suzhou /ziɪ¹³/
    Hangzhou /d͡ʑd͡ʑiẽ̞²¹³/
    Wenzhou /ji³¹/
    Hui Shexian /t͡sʰe⁴⁴/
    Tunxi /t͡sʰiɛ⁴⁴/
    Xiang Changsha /t͡siẽ¹³/
    Xiangtan /d͡ziẽ¹²/
    Gan Nanchang /t͡ɕʰiɛn²⁴/
    Hakka Meixian /t͡sʰien¹¹/
    Taoyuan /t͡sʰien¹¹/
    Cantonese Guangzhou /t͡sʰin²¹/
    Nanning /t͡sʰin²¹/
    Hong Kong /t͡sʰin²¹/
    Min Xiamen (Min Nan) /t͡sian³⁵/
    /t͡siŋ³⁵/
    Fuzhou (Min Dong) /t͡sieŋ⁵³/
    Jian'ou (Min Bei) /t͡sʰiŋ³³/
    Shantou (Min Nan) /t͡sõi⁵⁵/
    Haikou (Min Nan) /sin³¹/
    /tai³¹/
    /tun³¹/
    Rime
    Character 前
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial (聲) 從 (15)
    Final (韻) 先 (85)
    Tone (調) Level (Ø)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) IV
    Fanqie 昨先切
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/d͡zen/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/d͡zen/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/d͡zɛn/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/d͡zɛn/
    Li
    Rong         		/d͡zen/
    Wang
    Li         		/d͡zien/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/d͡zʱien/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		qián
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		cin4
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 前
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		qián
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ dzen ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*[dz]ˁen/ (~ *m-dzˁen)
    English before

    Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

    * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
    * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
    * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
    * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

    * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
    Zhengzhang system (2003)
    Character 前
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 10256
    Phonetic
    component         		前
    Rime
    group         		元
    Rime
    subdivision         		2
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		前
    Old
    Chinese         		/*zleːn/

    DefinitionsEdit

    前

    1. front; forepart
      前方  ―  qiánfāng  ―  the front
      前門 / 前门  ―  qiánmén  ―  front door
      前奏  ―  qiánzòu  ―  prelude
      Antonym: 後／后 (hòu)
    2. ago; before
      以前  ―  yǐqián  ―  previously; ago
      五天前  ―  wǔ tiān qián  ―  five days ago
      史前時代 / 史前时代  ―  shǐqián shídài  ―  prehistoric times
    3. past; previous; former; earlier
      前任  ―  qiánrèn  ―  predecessor
      前功盡棄 / 前功尽弃  ―  qiángōngjìnqì  ―  all the previous effort is wasted
      前漢 / 前汉  ―  qiánhàn  ―  the Former (Western) Han
    4. top; foremost; leading
      前三名  ―  qián sān míng  ―  top three
    5. future; time ahead
      前程  ―  qiánchéng  ―  future; prospects
    6. to move forward
      勇往直前  ―  yǒngwǎngzhíqián  ―  to advance bravely
    7. A surname​.

    Usage notesEdit

    前 may refer to either the past or the future depending on one's perspective that is often implied by the context idiomatically. The set phrase 前天 (qiántiān) specifically refers to the day before yesterday.

    CompoundsEdit

    Derived terms from 前

    DescendantsEdit

    Sino-Xenic (前):
    • → Japanese: 前(ぜん) (zen)
    • → Korean: 전 (前, jeon)
    • → Vietnamese: tiền (前)

    Etymology 2Edit

    For pronunciation and definitions of 前 – see 剪 (“to cut”).
    (This character, 前, is an ancient form of 剪.)

    ReferencesEdit

    JapaneseEdit

    KanjiEdit

    前

    (grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    1. in front
    2. before

    ReadingsEdit

    CompoundsEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    Kanji in this term
    前
    まえ
    Grade: 2
    kun’yomi

    From Old Japanese as a compound of 目 (ma, “eye”) +‎ 方 (pe1, “direction, -wards”).[1][2]

    /mape1/ → /maɸe/ → /mawe/ → /maje/ → /mae/

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    前(まえ) • (mae) ←まへ (mafe)?

    1. the front
      前(まえ)へ進(すす)む
      mae e susumu
      to advance forwards
      (literally, “to advance towards the front”)
      Antonym: 後ろ (ushiro)
    2. the past
      前(まえ)から気(き)になってたんだけど […]
      mae kara ki ni natteta n da kedo […]
      I've been thinking about it for a while, but […]
      ずっと前(まえ)からそう思(おも)ってた
      zutto mae kara sō omotteta
      I've thought that for ages
      (literally, “I've been thinking that way since forever ago”)
      前(まえ)にも言(い)ったように
      mae ni mo itta yō ni
      as I've said before
      (literally, “just as I have said in the past”)
      Antonym: 後 (ato)
    3. previous
      前(まえ)の記(き)事(じ)
      mae no kiji
      previous entries
      Antonym: 次 (tsugi)

    SuffixEdit

    前(まえ) • (-mae) 

    1. a portion, an amount
      六(ろく)人(にん)前(まえ)の御(ご)膳(ぜん)
      rokunin-mae no go-zen
      a banquet for six people

    Etymology 2Edit

    Kanji in this term
    前
    さき
    Grade: 2
    kun’yomi
    For pronunciation and definitions of 前 – see the following entry.
    【先さき】1
    [noun] before, previous
    [noun] end, tip
    [noun] earlier, the past
    [noun] afterwards, the future
    [noun] the destination of a motion or action
    [noun] sequel
    [noun] ahead, in front
    (This term, 前, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)


    Etymology 3Edit

    Kanji in this term
    前
    ぜん
    Grade: 2
    goon

    From Middle Chinese 前 (MC d͡zen). Compare modern Mandarin 前 (qián).

    PronunciationEdit

    CounterEdit

    前(ぜん) • (-zen) 

    1. counter for irregularly shaped objects such as desks, armrests, and serving trays
    2. counter for kami and shrines

    PrefixEdit

    前(ぜん) • (zen-) 

    1. the last, the previous
    2. pre- (of an era)

    Etymology 4Edit

    Kanji in this term
    前
    ぜ
    Grade: 2
    kan’yōon

    Contraction of 御(ご)前(ぜ) (goze), itself a contraction of 御(ご)前(ぜん) (go-zen), an honorific form of address.[1][2]

    PronunciationEdit

    SuffixEdit

    前(ぜ) • (-ze) 

    1. (rare) an honorific suffix added to a noun denoting a person
      尼(あま)前(ぜ)
      ama-ze
      (honorable) nun

    ReferencesEdit

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
    4. ^ 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

    KoreanEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Middle Chinese 前 (MC d͡zen).

    Historical Readings
    Dongguk Jeongun Reading
    Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 쪈 (Yale: ccyèn)
    Middle Korean
    Text Eumhun
    Gloss (hun) Reading
    Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[2] 앏 (Yale: àlp) 젼 (Yale: cyèn)

    PronunciationEdit

    HanjaEdit

    Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

    Wikisource

    前 (eumhun 앞 전 (ap jeon))

    1. Hanja form? of 전 (“front; before”). [noun]
    2. Hanja form? of 전 (“ex-; previous”). [prefix]

    CompoundsEdit

    Compounds

    ReferencesEdit

    • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [3]

    VietnameseEdit

    Han characterEdit

    前: Hán Nôm readings: tiền, tèn

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