此前 (cǐ qián) — before this; previously; prior to this

Definition

Written/formal 'before this, previously' — used in reports and official contexts. More literary than 以前 or 之前, which work in everyday speech.

noun

before thispreviouslyprior to this

此前，。
cǐ qián, Gōng sī yǐ jīng jiě jué le zhè ge wèn tí.
Before this, the company had already solved this problem.
，。
Jù cǐ qián bào dào, shì jiàn fā shēng zài zuó tiān wǎn shàng.
According to previous reports, the incident happened last night.
此前。
Huì yì cǐ qián jué dìng tuī chí dào xià zhōu.
The meeting previously decided to be postponed to next week.

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