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前面qián miànahead; in front

HSK 2word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

前面 (qián miàn) means "ahead," "in front," or "preceding." It names the place in front of someone or something, as in 前面有一家商店 (there is a shop ahead), and it can mean an earlier part of a text or a line, such as the part above.

What does 前面 mean?

  1. 1.

    ahead; in frontnoun

  2. 2.

    preceding; abovenoun

What do the characters in 前面 mean?

  • 前front
  • 面side

How do you use 前面?

前面 is a place word; X前面 says in front of X, and 前面 alone can start a sentence about what is ahead.

Patterns

  • X + 前面

    学校前面有一座公园。

    Xuéxiào qiánmiàn yǒu yí zuò gōngyuán.

    There is a park in front of the school.

What are some examples of 前面 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 2

    前面有一家饭店。

    Qiánmiàn yǒu yì jiā fàndiàn.

    There is a restaurant ahead.

  2. HSK 2

    他坐在我前面。

    Tā zuò zài wǒ qiánmiàn.

    He sits in front of me.

  3. HSK 2

    请看前面的问题。

    Qǐng kàn qiánmiàn de wèntí.

    Please look at the question above.

How is 前面 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    请问，火车站怎么走？

    Qǐngwèn, huǒchēzhàn zěnme zǒu?

    Excuse me, how do I get to the train station?

  2. Speaker B:

    一直往前走，就在前面。

    Yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu, jiù zài qiánmiàn.

    Go straight ahead; it's just up ahead.

  3. Speaker A:

    远不远？

    Yuǎn bu yuǎn?

    Is it far?

  4. Speaker B:

    不远，走五分钟就到。

    Bù yuǎn, zǒu wǔ fēnzhōng jiù dào.

    Not far, it's a five-minute walk.

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.