Chinese word

前年

Pronunciation

Pinyinqián nián

Meaning

  • nounthe year before last

Example

前年我们结婚了。qián nián wǒ men jié hūn le

We got married the year before last.

Illustration for 前年 (the year before last)

More examples

和前年相比，他胖了很多。hé qián nián xiāng bǐ tā pàng le hěn duō

Compared with the year before last, he has gained a lot of weight.

Core concept

A point on the calendar two yearly steps behind the present.

Common phrases

  • 和前年相比hé qián nián xiāng bǐ

    compared with the year before last

  • 从前年开始cóng qián nián kāi shǐ

    starting the year before last

Similar words

去年qù nián: Names the calendar year one year before the current year.
两年前liǎng nián qián: Refers to the calendar year two years before the current year.

Definition in Chinese

指发生在去年之前的一年，即从当前年份向前推两年所对应的那一年。zhǐ fā shēng zài qù nián zhī qián de yì nián jí cóng dāng qián nián fèn xiàng qián tuī liǎng nián suǒ duì yìng de nà yì nián

Word origin

前年 (qiánnián, "the year before last") combines 前 (qián, "before") + 年 (nián, "year"), placing the year before last in relation to the current year.

Usage tips

  • Its time reference moves with the calendar: when a new year begins, the year named by this word also moves forward by one year.

Opposites

Word lists with this word