前去 (qián qù) — to go forward, to proceed; to go to (a place) (formal)

Definition

A formal/literary verb meaning 'to go forward' or 'to proceed to (a place)'. It is a two-character alternative to 去 used mostly in written, official, or narrative contexts.

verb
to go forwardto proceedto go to (a place) (formal)

Examples

  • 前去。
    Tā men jué dìng qián qù běi jīng cān jiā huì yì.
    They decided to go to Beijing to attend the meeting.
  • 前去。
    Qǐng qián qù xún wèn xiáng qíng.
    Please go forward and ask for details.
  • 前去，。
    Duì wu qián qù, bú yào tíng xià.
    The team proceeds forward; don't stop.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

前qiánforward
去qùgo

前 means forward, and 去 means go; together they mean to proceed forward.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In the older form of 前, 止 (foot) and 舟 (boat) showed a foot on a boat moving forward; in the current 前 those parts are shortened.

Open 前 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

去 pairs 大, a man, with 口, a mouth or object. The evidence reads this as a man leaving a place, a man opening his mouth, or a cover over an object.

Open 去 →

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