空前 (kōng qián) — unprecedented | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

空前 means 'unprecedented' — emphasizes that something has never happened before, often before a noun like 规模, 机遇. It is more concise and colloquial than the formal set phrase 前所未有.

verb

unprecedented

Examples

空前，。
Zhè cì bǐ sài guī mó kōng qián, xī yǐn le quán qiú de guān zhòng.
This competition was unprecedented in scale, attracting global audiences.
空前。
Gōng sī miàn lín zhe kōng qián de jī yù hé tiǎo zhàn.
The company faces unprecedented opportunities and challenges.
空前。
Zhè zhǒng jì shù dài lái le kōng qián de fā zhǎn.
This technology has brought unprecedented development.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

空kōngmake empty

前qiánthe past

空 “make empty” and 前 “the past” combine to mean nothing like it has come before.

Characters in this word

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

穴工空

Meaning part形符xíngfú

穴穴xuécave, hole

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

工gōng空kōng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

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

止止zhǐfoot
舟舟zhōuboat

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Abstract Concepts

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