先前 (xiān qián) — before; previously
Definition
先前 means 'previously, before now' and is close to 以前 and 之前, but slightly more formal and written — it's the version you're most likely to see in reports, news, or instructions rather than casual speech.
noun
beforepreviously
Examples
- 先前，。Wǒ xiān qián bù zhī dào zhè jiàn shì, hòu lái cái tīng shuō de.I didn't know about this before; I only heard about it later.
- 先前，？xiān qián De jì huà, xiàn zài hái yǒu xiào ma?Is the previous plan still valid now?
- 先前，。Tā xiān qián zhù zài běi jīng, qù nián bān dào le shàng hǎi.He lived in Beijing before, and moved to Shanghai last year.
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