Chinese word

前面

Pronunciation

Pinyinqián miàn

Meaning

  • nounfront

Example

公交车前面还有很多座位。gōng jiāo chē qián miàn hái yǒu hěn duō zuò wèi

There are still plenty of seats at the front of the bus.

Illustration for 前面 (front)

More examples

会议室前面有一条长椅。huì yì shì qián miàn yǒu yì tiáo cháng yǐ

There is a long bench in front of the meeting room.

Core concept

A leading area or position, whether at the front of something or earlier in an order or time.

Common phrases

  • 公交车前面gōng jiāo chē qián miàn

    in front of the bus

  • 在前面zài qián miàn

    ahead

  • 前面有qián miàn yǒu

    in front there is

Similar words

前边qián biān: The space directly in front of or near the front of something.
前头qián tou: The front part or end of something, in casual spoken language.

Definition in Chinese

指物体、空间或方向的前方或前部，也可用于表示在时间或顺序上靠前的部分。zhǐ wù tǐ kōng jiān huò fāng xiàng de qián fāng huò qián bù yě kě yòng yú biǎo shì zài shí jiān huò shùn xù shàng kào qián de bù fèn

Word origin

前 (qián, "before/front") + 面 (miàn, "side/area") forms a noun for the leading side or area, extending from physical position to an earlier place in an order.

Usage tips

  • Chinese often places the reference noun before this word in location phrases, while English usually places "in front of" after it.

Other meanings

  • aheadnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word