前世 (qián shì) — (Buddhist) past life, previous existence; (figurative) previous generation(s), an earlier time
Definition
Literally 'previous life.' Most often used in the Buddhist sense — a past existence tied to karma (因缘) — but can also loosely mean 'a previous era or generation' in figurative contexts.
noun
(Buddhist) past lifeprevious existence(figurative) previous generation(s)an earlier time
Examples
- 前世。Tā xiāng xìn qián shì de yīn yuán huì yǐng xiǎng jīn shēng de shēng huó.He believes that karmic connections from a past life affect this life.
- ，前世。Nǐ duì wǒ zhè me hǎo, wǒ zhēn huái yí qián shì wǒ men shì yì jiā rén.You are so kind to me—I really suspect we were family in a past life.
- 前世。Zhè zuò lǎo fáng zi bǎo liú zhe qián shì de fēng gé.This old house retains the style of a previous era.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.