从前 cóngqián▶ trước

Stroke order

从前 is written in 13 strokes across 2 characters.

• 从 — 4 strokes
• 前 — 9 strokes

Senses

1. previously
2. formerly
3. once upon a time

Related words

• 从事Tham gia vào, bận rộn với
• 从此từ đó trở đi
• 从而do đó
• 前途tương lai
• 目前hiện tại
• 自从Kể từ khi; vì

从前 is pronounced cóngqián and means “trước”. It belongs to the HSK 5 vocabulary, one of the six bands of the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, China’s official Chinese proficiency exam. Recognising 从前 on a page and producing it in conversation are different skills, and only the second holds up when someone is waiting for an answer — so LexiTrail brings it back just as your memory of it starts to fade, not on a fixed weekly rota.