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前沿 (qián yán) — front line, forward position (military); frontier (of science, technology, etc.)

Definition

前沿 is a noun meaning 'frontier / cutting edge' — the leading edge of science or technology. Compare 前线, which emphasizes a literal military front line; 前沿 is mostly figurative. Compare 先锋, the people who lead, not the field itself.

noun
front lineforward position (military)frontier (of science, technology, etc.)

Examples

  • 前沿。
    Zhàn shì men chōng dào le zhàn dòu qián yán.
    The soldiers charged to the battle front line.
  • 前沿。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī yì zhí chǔ yú jì shù qián yán.
    This company has always been at the technological frontier.
  • 前沿。
    Tā de yán jiū shè jí kē xué qián yán lǐng yù.
    His research touches on the frontier areas of science.

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qiánfront
沿yánedge

前 and 沿 combine as the front edge, giving a forward position or scientific frontier.

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㕣
㕣㕣沿yán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

沿 pairs 氵 (water) with 㕣, which shows how it was pronounced; it originally meant the edge of a river, which led to the sense of moving along something.

Open 沿 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Military & DefenseScience (General)

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