Dictionary › 从前

从前

cóng qián

Old HSK 5 HSK 3.0 level 5 2-character word Traditional 從前

从前 (cóng qián) means "in the past, previously". It is an HSK 3.0 level 5 word, and was HSK 5 in the old six-level list.

What 从前 means

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

The characters in 从前

• 从cóngfrom; through; via; (bound form) to follow; (bound form) to obey
• 前qiánfront; forward; ahead

Example sentences

• 他和从前不一样。
  He is different from what he used to be.
• 他们从前住这吗？
  Did they live here?
• 我从前和你一样穷。
  I used to be poor like you.
• 从前有个美丽的公主。
  Cóngqián yǒu ge měilì de gōngzhǔ.
  Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess.
• 汤姆还和从前一样穷。
  Tom is still just as poor as he used to be.

Where 从前 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Time & Temporal Expressions (HSK 5), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 5 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read cóng qián correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.