Chinese word

节前

Pronunciation

Pinyinjié qián

Meaning

  • nounbefore the holiday

Example

公司在节前通常很忙。gōng sī zài jié qián tōng cháng hěn máng

The company is usually very busy before the holiday.

Illustration for 节前 (before the holiday)

More examples

很多人会在节前购物，准备过节。hěn duō rén huì zài jié qián gòu wù zhǔn bèi guò jié

Many people shop before the holiday to prepare for the holiday.

Core concept

A stretch of time leading up to a holiday, when holiday-related work and plans take shape.

Common phrases

  • 节前购物jié qián gòu wù

    shopping before the holiday

  • 节前准备jié qián zhǔn bèi

    pre-holiday preparations

  • 节前忙碌jié qián máng lù

    being busy before the holiday

Similar words

春节前chūn jié qián: The period immediately before the Spring Festival begins.
放假前fàng jià qián: The period just before school or work starts a holiday break.
假期前jià qī qián: The period leading up to a vacation or extended holiday.

Definition in Chinese

节前是指某一节日之前的时间段，用于表示在节日前发生的事情或需要进行的准备。jié qián shì zhǐ mǒu yì jié rì zhī qián de shí jiān duàn yòng yú biǎo shì zài jié rì qián fā shēng de shì qíng huò xū yào jìn xíng de zhǔn bèi

Word origin

节 (jié, "holiday or festival") + 前 (qián, "before") forms 节前 (jiéqián, "before the holiday"), a phrase for the time before a holiday.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the holiday is often named explicitly, as in 春节前 (Chūnjié qián, "before the Spring Festival") or 国庆节前 (Guóqìngjié qián, "before National Day"), rather than left unspecified.

Opposites

Word lists with this word