从前

从前 cóngqián

Formerly

HSK 5 繁體 從前 congqian

What 从前 means

  1. Formerly

These meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the Chinese to Pinyin translator and the Chinese to English translator, so a whole sentence containing 从前 will read it the same way this page does.

Character by character

从前 is written with 2 characters. Chinese words are usually easier to remember once you can see what each part contributes.

cóng
From (follow - obey)
qián
Before (front - first - former - earlier - ago)

How to write 从前

Stroke order is not decoration — it is what makes handwriting legible and what dictionary lookup by stroke count depends on.

Practise 从前 on printable 田字格 sheets, trace it in the writing practice tool, or watch any other character in the Stroke Order Animator.

Questions about 从前

What does 从前 mean in English?

从前 is pronounced cóngqián and means Formerly.

How do you pronounce 从前?

从前 is cóngqián in pinyin — written congqian without tone marks. Press the audio button on this page to hear it spoken by a native voice.

What are the characters in 从前?

从前 is written with 2 characters: 从 (cóng) From (follow - obey), 前 (qián) Before (front - first - former - earlier - ago). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.

How is 从前 written in traditional Chinese?

從前. The simplified form 从前 is used in mainland China and Singapore; 從前 is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Both are pronounced cóngqián.

Is 从前 an HSK word?

Yes — 从前 is on the official HSK 5 vocabulary list. You can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 5 page.

Studied around the same time

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Translate a whole sentence containing 从前 with the Chinese to Pinyin translator, study it alongside the rest of HSK 5, drill it with HSK flashcards, or save it above and review it on your review deck.

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