Chinese word

前头

Pronunciation

Pinyinqián tou

Meaning

  • nounfront

Example

他们把桌子挪到前头了。tā men bǎ zhuō zi nuó dào qián tou le

They moved the table to the front.

Illustration for 前头 (front)

More examples

孩子们都想坐在教室的前头。hái zi men dōu xiǎng zuò zài jiào shì de qián tou

The children all want to sit at the front of the classroom.

Core concept

The part or moment that is ahead of a reference point.

Common phrases

  • 坐在前头zuò zài qián tou

    sit at the front

  • 挪到前头nuó dào qián tou

    move to the front

Similar words

前边qián biān: The place just ahead of or near the front of a person or object.
前面qián miàn: The front side or surface of a person or object.
前方qián fāng: The direction or position ahead, including places some distance away.

Definition in Chinese

口语中常用的名词，既可指空间的前方，也可指时间上的以前。kóu yǔ zhōng cháng yòng de míng cí jì kě zhǐ kōng jiān de qián fāng yě kě zhǐ shí jiān shàng de yǐ qián

Word origin

The word joins 前 (qián, "front; earlier") with 头 (tou, "head"), whose colloquial suffix use helps turn the idea of being ahead into a noun for position or time.

Usage tips

  • English often uses different wording for location and earlier time, so surrounding verbs and time phrases help determine the intended reading.

Other meanings

  • formerlyadverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word