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面前 (miàn qián) — in front of; facing; in the presence of

Definition

A locative noun meaning 'in front of' — physical space (in front of a building) or figurative presence (in front of a person). Unlike 跟前, it stresses a position one faces, not necessarily a person standing beside you.

noun
in front offacingin the presence of

Examples

  • 面前，。
    Zài lǎo shī miàn qián, bú yào shuō huà.
    Don't speak in front of the teacher.
  • 面前，。
    Zài kùn nan miàn qián, wǒ men yào jiān chí.
    In the face of difficulties, we must persevere.
  • 面前。
    Dà lóu miàn qián yǒu yí gè dà huā yuán.
    There is a big garden in front of the building.

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.

面miànface/surface
前qiánfront

面 gives the surface or face, and 前 marks what lies before it; it means in front of.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

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
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