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生前 (shēng qián) — (of a deceased person) during one's life, while living

Definition

Literary/formal noun meaning 'during one's life' — always used about someone who is now deceased. Contrast with 死后 (after one's death); not interchangeable with the general 在世.

noun
(of a deceased person) during one's lifewhile living

Examples

  • 生前。
    Tā shēng qián shì yì míng jiào shī.
    He was a teacher during his lifetime.
  • 生前。
    Zhè shì tā shēng qián zuì xǐ huan de yán sè.
    This was her favorite color while she was alive.
  • 生前。
    Wǒ men dōu jì de tā shēng qián wèi shè qū zuò de gòng xiàn.
    We all remember the contributions he made to the community during his life.

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.

生shēnglife
前qiánbefore

“生” (life) and “前” (before) combine for the time before death, while someone was alive.

Characters in this word

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Life Stages & Age

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