前脚 (qián jiǎ) — forward foot (in a step); (in the pattern 前脚…后脚…) no sooner A than B; just as A happened, B followed

Definition

Used almost only in the paired pattern 前脚…后脚… meaning 'no sooner A than B' — A and B happen back-to-back. The literal 'forward foot' sense is rare; treat this as a correlative pattern word.

noun
forward foot (in a step)(in the pattern 前脚…后脚…) no sooner A than Bjust as A happenedB followed

Examples

  • 前脚，。
    Tā qián jiǎ gāng tà jìn jiā mén, hòu jiǎo jiù xià qǐ le dà yǔ.
    No sooner had he stepped into the house than it started to pour.
  • 前脚。
    Zǒu lù shí zhù yì qián jiǎ hé yòu jiǎo yào xié tiáo.
    When walking, make sure your forward foot and right foot are coordinated.
  • 前脚，。
    Wǒ qián jiǎ lí kāi bàn gōng shì, lǎo bǎn hòu jiǎo jiù dǎ diàn huà zhǎo wǒ.
    I had no sooner left the office than the boss called me.

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
脚jiǎofoot

The 前 sense of front combines with 脚 as foot to mean the foot that steps 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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腳; 脚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat, body
Sound part声符shēngfú
卻
卻què腳jiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腳 uses ⺼ for a body part and 卻 for the sound; the simplified 脚 is a later shorthand.

Open 脚 →

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