前者 (qián zhě) — the former (as opposed to the latter)

Definition

前者 means 'the former' of two things just mentioned, paired with 后者 ('the latter'). It is not a time word — use 之前/此前 for 'before'.

noun

the former (as opposed to the latter)

前者。
qián zhě Hé hòu zhě dōu shì hěn hǎo de xuǎn zé.
The former and the latter are both good choices.
前者，。
Wǒ gèng xǐ huan qián zhě, yīn wèi tā gèng pián yi.
I prefer the former because it's cheaper.
，前者。
Bǐ jiào zhè liǎng zhǒng fāng fǎ, qián zhě gèng yǒu xiào.
Comparing these two methods, the former is more effective.

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