前锋 (qián fēng) — vanguard; (sports) forward; (figurative) front…

Definition

noun

vanguard(sports) forward(figurative) front line / leading edge

Measure word · 名

前锋。
Tā shì qiú duì de qián fēng.
He is the forward of the team.
前锋。
Zhè jiā gōng sī zǒu zài chuàng xīn de qián fēng.
This company is at the forefront of innovation.
前锋，。
Tā men zuò wéi qián fēng, chéng dān le zuì dà de fēng xiǎn.
As the vanguard, they bore the greatest risk.

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 means front and 锋 means point or edge, so together they mean the leading edge.

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.

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 鋒; 锋 is its simplified writing.

金夆鋒

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

夆

夆páng鋒fēng

Same sound today

The traditional form 鋒 pairs 金 (metal) with a sound part 夆; the simplified 锋 is a shorthand.

Appears in