| qián | before/in front/ago/former/previous/earlier/front/prefixed word denoting respect (polite 美称); foremost; premier |
| 前 | front forward ahead |
| 前…后… | indicating one thing behind another, or one action after another |
| 前一天 | the day before (an event) |
| 前一阵 | In recent days |
| 前不久 | not long ago not long before |
| 前世 | previous generations previous incarnation (Buddhism) |
| 前世姻缘 | a marriage predestined in a former life (idiom) |
| 前事 | past events antecedent what has happened |
| 前事不忘，后事之师 | don't forget past events, they can guide you in future (idiom); benefit from past experience |
| 前些天 | a few days ago |
| 前人 | predecessor forebears the person facing you |
| 前人开路后人行 | One generation opens the road upon which another generation travels. |
| 前人栽树后人乘凉 | to profit from the labor of one's forefathers |
| 前人栽树，后人乘凉 | to enjoy the benefits of the hard work of one's predecessors. (idiom) |
| 前仆后继 | one falls, the next follows (idiom); stepping into the breach to replace fallen comrades advancing wave upon wave |
| 前仇 | past animosity |
| 前仰后合 | to sway to and fro to rock back and forth |
| 前件 | antecedent (logic) |
| 前任 | predecessor ex- former |
| 前任总理 | ex-Prime Minister |