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前行 (qián háng) — (verb) to go forward, to advance; (noun) vanguard, leading position; (noun) one's past actions or conduct

Definition

Literary/formal word for 'to move forward' (verb) or the 'vanguard' (noun) leading progress. As a noun it can also mean one's past conduct in formal contexts like 表现.

verb
to go forwardto advance
noun
vanguardleading positionone's past actions or conduct

Examples

  • 前行。
    Wǒ men yīng dāng yǒng gǎn dì jì xù qián háng.
    We should bravely continue to move forward.
  • 前行。
    Zhè zhī jūn duì shì gǎi gé qián háng lì liàng.
    This army is the vanguard force of reform.
  • 前行。
    Gōng sī hěn zhòng shì yuán gōng de qián háng biǎo xiàn.
    The company highly values employees' past performance.

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
行xínggo

'前' gives forward, '行' gives go; together go 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.

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →
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